Protests Held in Dozens of Cities Worldwide Against Death Sentences and Women's Oppression in Iran

Iranians living abroad are holding protests in dozens of cities around the world in response to the widespread implementation of death sentences, marking the anniversary of the execution of three protesters in the case known as 'Isfahan House.' The 'Global Network for Women, Life, Freedom' announced on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that protests 'against death sentences and the oppression of women in Iran' will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 29 and 30, in countries including Germany, Canada, the United States, Italy, Australia, the United Kingdom, and France. In this context, a protest was held on Saturday in Sydney, Australia, attended by Hamid Ismailioun, a political activist seeking justice. The first branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court sentenced Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaqoubi, and Saleh Mirhashimi, three defendants in the case known as 'Isfahan House,' to death on charges of 'Moharebeh' (waging war against God), and their sentences were carried out in Ordibehesht last year. Many political and human rights activists have described the trial as 'unfair' and stated that the defendants were deprived of access to a chosen lawyer and their civil rights during the court sessions. In this regard, Mana Mohammadi posted a video from her husband Saleh Mirhashimi's grave on Instagram yesterday, stating: 'How much anger, how much hatred, how many unspoken words we have that have become a lump in our throats.' After the onset of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, Iranian officials have accelerated the implementation of death sentences, with at least 834 people executed in Iran in 2023. Human rights media reported on Saturday, May 29, the execution of 'two women' and 'eight men' in prisons in Urmia, Salmas, and Nishapur in Iran. The Iran Human Rights Organization announced on May 13 this year that the Islamic Republic executed one person every five hours between April 28 and May 11. According to this human rights organization, during the mentioned two weeks, the death sentences of 63 prisoners in Iranian prisons were carried out.