Human Rights Organization: At Least 13 Protesters from 2023 Are at Risk of Execution

A human rights organization has reported, based on gathered documentation, that at least 13 detained protesters are at risk of execution. The report states that the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has executed some protesters in recent years under 'fabricated murder charges.' According to the report by Iran Human Rights Organization published on Tuesday, March 7, Mustafa Salehi and Navid Afkari, two protesters arrested during nationwide protests in 2017 and 2019, were sentenced to death on 'fabricated charges of moharebeh (waging war against God) and murder,' but to absolve officials of responsibility, their death sentences were officially carried out under murder charges. The organization emphasized the impact of global reactions to executions by the Islamic Republic in Iran, adding that 'after severe domestic backlash and widespread international pressure, other known protesters who were on death row were released.' Among those detained during the nationwide protests in November 2019, at least two, Abbas Daris in Ahvaz and Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani in Mashhad, remain at risk of execution. The Iran Human Rights Organization also noted the swift execution of two detainees from the 2023 protests and eight other protesters the following year based on 'security and murder charges,' stating: 'In 2024, officials used qisas (retribution) sentences to execute protesters to evade responsibility and attribute the executions to the victims' families.' The organization also stressed that 'at least 13 protesters from the Woman, Life, Freedom movement are still on death row,' reminding that Mohammad Qabadolou, a 23-year-old, and Reza Rasayi, a 36-year-old protester, were executed last year by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic under murder charges. The wave of opposition against executions by the Islamic Republic has expanded over the past year with the launch of the 'No to Executions on Tuesdays' campaign, garnering support from claimants and public opinion in Iran and worldwide. According to human rights organizations, at least 54 individuals facing 'security and political' charges are currently at risk of execution in Iranian prisons. Javid Rahman, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, recently stated that crimes against humanity, including murder and systematic destruction of opponents as well as genocide, are among the acts committed by the Islamic Republic, all of which are documented.