Reactions to the Execution of Mohammad Qabadelou; Extrajudicial Killing and Crime; Khamenei Must Be Held Accountable

The judiciary of the Islamic Republic executed Mohammad Qabadelou, a 23-year-old protester who was arrested during the nationwide protests of 1401 in Tehran, at dawn on Tuesday, Bahman 3, in Qazalhesar prison in Alborz province. This action sparked reactions on social media. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, reacted to Qabadelou's execution on social media platform X, stating: "Qabadelou's execution is illegal under international law and even the laws of the Islamic Republic and is considered an extrajudicial killing. Ali Khamenei and the judiciary of the corrupt Islamic Republic must be held accountable for this crime!" Images of Mohammad Qabadelou's family mourning outside Qazalhesar prison shortly after their son's execution have been published. In this video, a woman addresses prison officials, saying: "You killed my child. He went to the streets for all of you young people." Amir Hossein Mir-Asmaeili, a journalist, reported on social media X that special forces outside Qazalhesar prison were "beating and arresting people and even members of Mohammad's family." According to him, the officers were "shooting at people and Qabadelou's family with shotguns." In response to the execution of this young protester, Kianoush Sanjari, a journalist residing in Iran, wrote on social media X: "This morning, after the call to prayer, Mohammad Qabadelou was executed, just as hundreds of other protesters and opponents of the Islamic Republic were killed in the streets." Sanjari stated, "As long as the Revolutionary Court exists, that cursed revolution has not yet been established. Mohammad, like Majid Reza, were the honorable and dignified children of this land who stood against oppression." Additionally, journalist Hediyeh Kimiayi emphasized that "the Islamic Republic murdered Mohammad Qabadelou after fabricating a case and false accusations after keeping him in prison for a year." Mohammad Qabadelou was among those arrested during last year's nationwide protests in Iran, accused of "corruption on earth" through "extensive actions against the motorcycle officers of the police force, resulting in the death of officer Farid Kermpour and injuring five police officers." Amir Reisiian, Qabadelou's lawyer, reported on Monday that he received a "notification of execution" for this young protester and stated that his client was to be executed on Tuesday, Bahman 3. Many figures, organizations, and social media users widely called for a halt to his execution. Mass protests occurred outside the embassies of the Islamic Republic in France and London against the potential execution of Qabadelou, and Iranian expatriates in Berlin protested against the risk of his execution. Masoumeh Ahmadi, Mohammad Qabadelou's mother, urged the Kermpour family to reconsider the execution of her son. The Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic announced that Mohammad Qabadelou would be "retributed" on Tuesday. A representative from the German parliament and a political sponsor for Mohammad Qabadelou called for a halt to the execution of this young protester.