Reconfirmation of Death Sentences for Several Protesters; Two Experts to VOA: Aimed at 'Intimidating' Society

Despite warnings from international organizations about the increase in executions by the Islamic Republic, a lawyer announced that the death sentence for Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, which had been overturned by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, has been reconfirmed. Mohammad Maghimi and Sina Yousofi, two legal experts, emphasized in an interview with the Persian section of VOA about the issuance and execution of death sentences for protesters by the Islamic Republic, stating that this systematic process is intended to instill fear in society. Sina Yousofi, a lawyer, discussed the issuance of death sentences for protesters and the execution of political prisoners, stating that this trend has been ongoing since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, and in recent weeks, there have been witnessed 'extrajudicial actions' and 'political objectives' in executing protesters whose sentences had been overturned by the Supreme Court. According to this legal expert, these executions are carried out 'in a planned, targeted, and systematic manner,' and examining the process of issuing and executing death sentences by the Islamic Republic shows that the increase in executions before protests is 'preventive' and after them is 'repressive.' Additionally, Mohammad Maghimi, a human rights expert, stated that the current increase in executions in the Islamic Republic is due to three main reasons; first, 'generally, the Islamic Republic, like some authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, uses the death penalty as a means to control society and intimidate opponents, critics, and protesters.' He emphasized that 'when this government faces inefficiency in various political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions, it increases executions. Therefore, in the current situation where the Islamic Republic has reached its peak of incompetence and inefficiency and fears that the next wave of protests could bring it down, its leaders are compelled to increase executions to intimidate the people and create a deterrent image.' This lawyer also referred to the 'background and belief' of Ebrahim Raisi and 'his team towards executions,' stating that Raisi's history 'in the 1988 killings and his presence in the death committee can be seen,' and it is clear that 'he and his associates have a sacred view of the death penalty, which is a toxic belief that contradicts the Sharia relied upon by the Islamic Republic.' Maghimi also emphasized: 'Today, the Islamic Republic is more unified than ever, meaning that the three branches are coordinated and unified under the command of the absolute rule of the jurist. This contradicts the principle of separation of powers, which is one of the main pillars of democracy. Therefore, Ebrahim Raisi is increasing executions with greater coordination with the judiciary.' Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani is not the first protester at risk of execution; according to previous reports, several protesters including Reza Rasayi, Mojahid Korkor, Mehran Bahramian, Fazel Bahramian, and Abbas Daris are also at risk of execution. Babak Paknia, a lawyer, wrote on the social media platform X that the death sentence for Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, a protester from the November 2019 protests, which had once been overturned by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, has been reconfirmed by a parallel branch. Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, born in 1995, was arrested on February 7, 2020, in Mashhad and accused of 'corruption on earth' through 'arson and destruction of specific places including the government tax building,' an accusation that this political prisoner has denied. According to previous reports from VOA, Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani was arrested by the IRGC Intelligence Organization and 'spent 65 days under the most severe psychological and physical pressures in the IRGC Intelligence detention center under torture to comply with the IRGC Intelligence project.' Previously, Arash Sadeghi, a human rights defender, had urged human rights organizations in an interview with the Persian section of VOA to pressure the Islamic Republic to cancel 'unjust sentences' including the death penalty for Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, who, according to him, has not received a 'fair trial.' Following the execution of at least six protesters and political prisoners in recent days, concerns about the execution of several other detained protesters have increased. Among them, the group '1500 Images,' which tracks human rights violations in Iran, has reminded that seven imprisoned protesters, including 'Mojahid Korkor, Reza Rasayi, Mansour Dahmarde, Fazel Bahramian, and Mehran Bahramian' from the 2022 protests, as well as 'Javad Vafaee and Abbas Daris' from the November 2019 protests, are at risk of execution. Judicial officials of the Islamic Republic executed Mohammad Ghobadloo, one of the detainees from the 2022 protests, along with Farhad Salimi, a political prisoner, in Ghezelsar prison in Alborz province on January 23. Additionally, four Kurdish political prisoners were executed in the same prison in recent days, and death sentences have been issued for several other detained protesters. The wave of protests against these issued sentences and their execution continues, and several political prisoners have announced that they will go on hunger strike on Tuesdays in protest against the executions.