A court in Iran has sentenced the first individual to death for participating in the protests that have engulfed the country.
The unnamed defendant was convicted guilty of setting a government building on fire by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
Another court sentenced five defendants to prison terms ranging from five to ten years on national security and public order offences.
A human rights organisation warned that authorities may be contemplating “hurried killings.”
[wonderplugin_video iframe=”https://youtu.be/VIvy7kgFYss” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.tvcnews.tv/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]
Its director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, called on the international community to take urgent action and “strongly warn the Islamic Republic of the consequences of executing protesters”.
Protests against Iran’s clerical establishment erupted two months ago after the death in custody of a young woman detained by morality police for allegedly breaking the strict hijab rules.
They are reported to have spread to 140 cities and towns and evolved into the most significant challenge to the Islamic Republic in over a decade.
At least 326 protesters, including 43 children and 25 women, have been killed in a violent crackdown by security forces, according to Iran Human Rights.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which is also headquartered outside the nation, the dead toll has risen to 339, with another 15,300 demonstrators jailed. It further stated that 39 security personnel were killed.
Iran’s officials have described the demonstrations as “riots” orchestrated by the country’s foes.
Last Monday, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary, announced that “important perpetrators” should be found as soon as possible and sentenced.
He warned that “rioters” could be charged with “moharebeh” (enmity against God), “efsad fil-arz” (corruption on Earth) and “baghy” (armed rebellion) – all of which can carry the death penalty in Iran’s Sharia-based legal system.
Those possessing and using a weapon or firearm, disrupting national security, or killing someone could receive “qisas” (retaliation in kind), he said, apparently responding to a call for retributive justice from 272 of the 290 members of Iran’s parliament.
More than 2,000 people have already been charged with participating in the “recent riots”, according to judiciary figures.
