Amnesty International Warns of the Risk of Execution for 15 Prisoners Linked to Nationwide Protests

On Wednesday, Amnesty International highlighted that at least 15 prisoners associated with the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement are at risk of execution and called for a suspension of these death sentences. The international human rights organization stated in a letter to Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i, the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, that among these individuals, eight are at imminent risk of execution. Amnesty International emphasized that Iranian authorities have severely violated the right to a fair trial and subjected many of these prisoners to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings, electric shocks, and sexual violence. The organization noted that as executions in Iran have increased, concerns about the implementation of death sentences for these imprisoned protesters have also intensified. The letter listed the names of Fazl Bahramian, Mahmoud Mehrabi, Moulavi Mohammad Khodrnejad, Manouchehr Mehmannavaz, Mehran Bahramian, Mojahid (Abbas) Korkori, Reza (Gholamreza) Rasai, and Toumaj Salehi, warning of their execution risk. Amnesty International stated that the charges against these individuals include 'Moharebeh' (waging war against God), 'Fasadeh fil-arz' (corruption on earth), and 'Baghi' (armed rebellion against the regime). The organization also expressed concern about the status of Saeed Shirazi and Abolfazl Mehri Hajilo, asserting that the charges against these two protesters could lead to their execution. Amnesty International indicated that at least five prisoners detained during the nationwide protests in 2022 are also at risk of receiving death sentences. The human rights organization described the handling of these defendants' cases as far from global standards, unjust, and under torture, emphasizing that their trials were sham. Amnesty International has urged the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to annul all sentences and convictions related to the nationwide protests in Iran and to review the cases of the accused in accordance with global standards. The human rights organization noted that nine other imprisoned protesters have already been executed following 'severely unjust sham trials.' Earlier, Amnesty International reported in its 2023 annual report on the assessment of the human rights situation in Iran that the Islamic Republic has doubled the implementation of death sentences since 2022, and enforced disappearances, torture, and other inhumane, degrading, and brutal treatment are systematically carried out in the country.