Shortly thereafter, the five-year prison sentence for Faeseh Hashemi Rafsanjani became known. The women’s rights activist and former parliamentarian was arrested in Tehran in late September. She was accused of having called for participation in anti-government protests following the death of Kurdish Mahsa Amini following her arrest by religious police. Her lawyer, Neda Schams, told AFP on Monday that she was convicted of “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic and crimes against national security.
Rafsanjani had already been targeted by the Iranian judiciary several times and was sentenced to 15 months in prison in March 2022. In 2012, she was also arrested for “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic and sentenced to six months in prison. Her father, who died in 2017, was president from 1989 to 1997. He was considered a moderate and worked to improve relations with the West.
Three more death sentences
In contrast, the Iranian authorities’ harsh treatment of the protest movement, and in particular the death sentences imposed in connection therewith, are causing already tense relations to escalate. The Iranian ambassador was summoned to several European countries, including Austria, on Monday.
In Iran, a court imposed three more death sentences. According to the Misan justice portal, the convicts are accused of killing three security agents in the city of Isfahan in November. Prison sentences were also imposed on five other men at the trial. Former football player Nasr-Asadani was sentenced to a total of 26 years in prison on three counts.
protest the execution
Previously, several people had protested against the imminent execution of two young demonstrators. Prominent activists and social media users reported that crowds gathered outside a prison near the capital Tehran late on Monday. As a result, relatives also flocked to the notorious Gohardasht prison in Karaj to protest the execution of two convicts Mohammed G. and Mohammed B.
Online media users had previously reported that his execution was imminent. According to a poll by the “New York Times”, Mohammed G. is 19 years old. The Iranian judiciary sentenced him to death for allegedly setting fire to a government building and injuring a security officer. Hairdresser Mohammed B., 22, was arrested in Tehran shortly after protests began in late September. He is accused of running over a police officer.
Two more death sentences were carried out in Iran in connection with Saturday’s protests. Mohammed-Mehdi K., 22, and Sejed-Mohammed H., 39, were blamed for the death of a security guard during protests in November.
“The death penalty as a means of repression”
“Austria rejects the death penalty in all circumstances and is emphatically committed to its abolition worldwide,” said Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), who in the short message service Twitter condemned the sentences in the strongest possible terms and also confirmed the appointment of the Iranian Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I strongly condemn the execution of #MohammadMehdiKarami & Seyyed #Mohammad Hosseiniarrested in the context of protests in #Will.
The Iranian ambassador was summoned today. Austria rejects the death penalty under all circumstances and strongly advocates its abolition worldwide.
— Alexander Schallenberg (@a_schallenberg) January 9, 2023
The Iranian regime uses the death penalty as a means of oppression. This is terrible,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) tweeted. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said the Iranian ambassador must make it absolutely clear “that the brutal repression, oppression and terror of the own people of the country and the two most recent executions will not go unnoticed”.
The Foreign Ministry in Paris said the ambassador had been informed that France strongly condemned the executions and crackdowns in Iran. The death sentences and executions were compounded by other serious and unacceptable violations of fundamental rights and freedoms by the Iranian authorities. None of this is a response to the Iranian people’s legitimate aspirations for freedom.
Denmark and Norway also recalled Iranian ambassadors to their foreign ministries. The Iranian ambassador was on Monday afternoon for a talk at the Foreign Ministry in Copenhagen, the Danish Foreign Ministry said later. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the execution of the two young Iranian protesters was unacceptable. This has now become very clear to the Iranian leadership.
Protests in 17 cities
Meanwhile, the Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Sunday’s dissident demonstrations were the biggest in more than a month. Iranians took to the streets in at least 17 cities to protest the third anniversary of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane.
All 176 occupants died on launch amid military tensions with the United States. In a final report, Iran spoke of “human error” and agreed to pay compensation. To this day, family members are of the opinion that those responsible have not been sufficiently held accountable.
The trigger for nationwide protests in Iran was the death of Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022 in police custody. The Iranian Kurd was arrested by the religious police for violating the Islamic dress code in force in Iran.