Iran has sentenced to death three more people accused of killing members of its security forces during protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a court said Monday.
The Islamic Republic has been rocked by civil unrest since the September 16 death of Iranian Kurdish prisoner Amini, 22, after she was detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
The latest sentence, which is still pending, brings to 17 the total number of people sentenced to death for the nearly four-month-long protests.
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Four executions have been carried out and six people sentenced to death have been given retrials.
In the latest verdict, Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were sentenced to death for “moharebeh” – or waging “war against God” – under Iran’s Islamic sharia law, the court’s Mizan Online news website reported.
In addition, they were all found guilty of “criminal group with the aim of disrupting the security of the state”, a charge that carries a 10-year prison sentence.
Two others were arrested in connection with an incident that killed three members of the security forces in the central province of Isfahan on November 16, Mizan said.
One of them is professional footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani, 26, who received a total sentence of 26 years in prison on three different charges including aiding “moharebeh”.
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But under Iranian law, they must serve them concurrently, meaning they will be held for up to 16 years, he said.
Nasr-Azadani’s case and the risk of him being sentenced to death have caused alarm abroad, especially by FIFPRO, the union of professional footballers.
All sentences announced can be appealed in the country’s high court, Mizan said.
– ‘Betrayal’ –
Iranian authorities say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested during protests that have mostly been described as “riots”.
Tehran accuses hostile foreign countries and opposition groups of fueling the unrest.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that the authorities had dealt “seriously and fairly” with those involved in the “unrest”.
“The aim of those who are in this riot is not to overcome the country’s weakness but to destroy its strength”, he said, according to the official website.
“There is no doubt that there are economic and livelihood problems, but can these problems be solved by burning garbage cans and rioting on the streets?” he added.
Also Read: Iran upholds two death sentences, issues more over protests
“Undoubtedly, these actions are treason, and the institutions responsible deal with treason seriously and fairly.”
On Saturday, Iran executed Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini for killing members of paramilitary forces in November, in Karaj, west of Tehran.
Two others, Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard, were killed in December after being blamed for separate attacks on security forces.
The execution sparked global outrage and new Western sanctions against Tehran.
On Monday, Pope Francis called for the death penalty worldwide, including in Iran.
“The death penalty cannot be used for the justice of the country as it is considered, because it does not act as a deterrent or provide justice to the victims, but only quenches their thirst,” he said.
Also read: Young Iranian faces death penalty for protesting
According to the London-based human rights group Amnesty International, Iran is second only to China in the use of the death penalty, with at least 314 people executed in 2021.
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