Amnesty International Warns of Execution of 10 Individuals Linked to 'Women, Life, Freedom' Protests

Amnesty International has warned that at least ten individuals who were arrested in connection with the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests in 2022 and were sentenced in 'sham and severely unfair trials' are at risk of execution. In a statement released on Thursday, December 20, the organization announced the names of these ten individuals: Milad Arman, Alireza Kafayi, Amir Mohammad Khoshghbal, Navid Najaran, Hossein Naemati, Alireza Barmerzpournak, Fazel Bahramian, Manouchehr Mehmannavaz, Mehran Bahramian, and Mehrab (Mehran) Abdollazadeh. According to Amnesty International, the charges against these individuals include moharebeh (waging war against God), baghi (rebellion), and murder, and their trial processes have been severely unjust. The first six individuals listed are accused in the case known as Ekbatan, where they were sentenced to death for the alleged murder of a Basij force named Arman Ali-Vardi in November 2022. Meanwhile, some human rights organizations have reported torture and mistreatment of the accused in this case. Amnesty International stated in its announcement and in a letter sent to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran's judiciary, that these ten individuals have been deprived of adequate defense rights and access to chosen lawyers, and their trials were based on confessions obtained under torture. Among the torture and mistreatment reported by Amnesty International are beatings, electric shocks, asphyxiation, sexual violence, and deliberate denial of healthcare. The human rights organization has called for the immediate cancellation of death sentences related to protests in Iran and urged the head of the judiciary to refrain from issuing further death sentences. The 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests began in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of the morality police, leading to a bloody government crackdown. Since then, the Islamic Republic has executed nine individuals in connection with these protests, including Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Mohammad Qabadelu, Mohsen Shekari, Majid Rehnavard, Mohammad Hosseini, Saleh Mirhashemi, Saeed Yaqoubi, Majid Kazemi, and Milad Zohrevand.