Iran sentences 3 more protesters to death amid international criticism

Iran’s judiciary has sentenced three more anti-government protesters to death on charges of “war against God,” the Mizan news agency reported on Monday, defying growing international criticism of its crackdown on protesters.

Iran hanged two people on Saturday in an attempt to quell the demonstrations, which have been on the rise since the country began carrying out executions just weeks after their arrests.

Mizan said Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeid Yaghoubi, who were convicted of killing members of the volunteer Basij militia during anti-government protests in the central city of Isfahan, could appeal their verdicts.

The Basij forces, affiliated with the elite Revolutionary Guards, have been at the forefront of the country’s clampdown on riots triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police on September 16.

Criticism of the Pope

Pope Francis condemned Iran on Monday for using the death penalty against protesters.

“The right to life is also threatened in places where the death penalty continues to be carried out, as is the case today in Iran, after new demonstrations demanding more respect for the dignity of women,” Francis said.

One of the boldest challenges to clerical leadership since the 1979 revolution, the protests drew support from Iranians across all walks of life and challenged the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy by calling for the downfall of its rulers.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signaled on Monday that the country has no intention of reducing his position, saying in a televised address that those who “burn public places have committed treason without a doubt.” Under Iranian Islamic law, treason is punishable by death.

Rights activists see the executions, arrests and harsh sentences of protesters by the clerical establishment as an attempt to intimidate protesters and instill enough fear in the population to end the riots.

Although the establishment redoubled its repression, small-scale protests persisted in Tehran, Isfahan and several other cities.

‘The Sham Test’

At least four people have been hanged since the demonstrations began, according to the court, including two protesters on Saturday for allegedly killing Basij members.

Amnesty International said last month that Iranian authorities had sought the death penalty for at least 26 others in what it called “fake trials designed to intimidate protesters.”

Rights activists on social media said two other protesters, 22-year-old Mohammad Ghobadlou and 18-year-old Mohammad Boroughani, had been moved to solitary confinement before their execution at Rajai Shahr prison in the city of Karaj.

A video on social media, which Reuters could not verify, showed people gathering on Sunday in front of the prison chanting slogans against Khamenei.

The European Union, the United States and other Western countries have condemned Iran for using the death penalty against protesters.

“The Iranian regime must answer for the brutal suppression of a courageous Iranian voice,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly tweeted.

“In response, Canada imposed sanctions on 2 Iranian individuals and 3 Iranian entities involved in these activities.”

On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Iran for using the death penalty against protesters, and a spokesman said Berlin wanted to increase pressure on Iranian authorities with new international measures.

“With these executions, the Iranian regime is using the death penalty as a means of repression,” Scholz wrote on Twitter. “That’s horrible.”

A German government spokesman told a press conference that Iran must see if there is a price to pay for continuing the execution.

“Together with our international partners, we will increase the pressure again on the Iranian regime,” the spokesman said.

The Islamic Republic, which blames the riots on foreign enemies including the United States, sees the protests as safeguarding national sovereignty.