Iran's Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence for Political Prisoner Yousef Ahmadi

Human rights sources report that the death sentence for Yousef Ahmadi, a political prisoner from Baneh currently held in Sanandaj prison, has been confirmed by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court. In September of this year, the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj sentenced Yousef Ahmadi to death on charges of "baghi" (rebellion). "Baghi" is considered a security charge punishable by death, and according to Islamic Penal Code, a "baghi" is someone who engages in armed struggle against the "foundations of the Islamic Republic." According to the report from the Kurdpa news agency, based on the primary court's ruling, three other political prisoners named Mohammad Karimi, Basit Karimi, and Mohammad Faizi were sentenced to 25 years, 20 years, and 20 years in prison respectively for "aiding in baghi." One of the officials from Kurdpa stated in an interview with the Hara News Agency that the charges against these four citizens were related to cooperation with one of the Kurdish opposition parties. The issued verdict has also been communicated to their lawyer and relatives. The confirmation of Yousef Ahmadi's death sentence comes amid a wave of anger and protests on social media following the execution of two political prisoners, Mohammad Qabadi and Farhad Salimi, on Tuesday morning, which observers have described as the Islamic Republic's "revenge" against the Iranian people following the "killing of its terrorists" in the region. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also expressed concern over the sharp increase in the use of the death penalty in Iran, including the executions of Mohammad Qabadi and Farhad Salimi on Tuesday, February 3. Volker Turk stated in a statement on Tuesday that according to reports, at least 54 people have been executed in Iran since the beginning of this year, emphasizing that the death penalty is incompatible with the most fundamental human rights, namely the right to life, and called for an "immediate halt" to it. Protests against the executions continue; Tomaj Salehi and Zeinab Jalalian have joined the hunger strike of prisoners in Evin. Exclusively, a member of the German parliament and political sponsor of Tomaj Salehi has called for continued support for this protesting artist. Shirin Ebadi has urged Neda Al-Nashif: The Islamic Republic is exploiting you, cancel your trip to Iran. The United States stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran is neither democratic nor transparent; it suppresses to remain in power.