Supreme Court Confirms Death Sentence for Milad Zahrawand; Denial of Lawyer Access and Rush in Court Ruling

The Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran has confirmed the death sentence of a 22-year-old protester named Milad Zahrawand in connection with the killing of a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The legal group Dadban reported on Tuesday, November 13, that the sentence of "Qisas Nafs" (retribution in kind) issued in the first instance based on the charge of "premeditated murder" for Milad Zahrawand, a resident of Malayer, has been upheld by the Supreme Court. According to this report, informed sources stated that Milad Zahrawand was deprived of his right to access a lawyer during his detention, and during this period, his family was severely pressured by the IRGC's intelligence organization not to disclose information about him. The report emphasized that the trial regarding the charge of premeditated murder attributed to Zahrawand concluded hastily and "in less than three months" and that "his death sentence was issued in a rush." Milad Zahrawand is accused of "killing a security officer affiliated with the IRGC in Malayer." The name and details of the mentioned officer are not specified in this report, but it is stated that "on November 25 of last year," during the protests of "Women, Life, Freedom," a "clash occurred" between "protesters and officers," resulting in the death of one officer. Previously, several detainees from the nationwide protests of 2022, which erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police in Iran, have been executed by the judiciary on charges including "murder," "moharebeh" (waging war against God), and "corruption on earth"; actions that have faced widespread protests. The hasty executions of several protesters in Iran come amid revelations from the brother of Rouhollah Ajmiyan, a Basij member killed during the crackdown on protests in Karaj, who recently confessed that they were "not the main culprits" and that "two homeless individuals were executed." Meanwhile, Islamic Republic officials have not only suppressed and detained some members of the families of the more than 500 deceased protesters and prevented the holding of memorial ceremonies for them but have also destroyed the graves of some of the killed protesters and have refrained from addressing the complaints of the plaintiffs. Earlier, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in his report to the UN Human Rights Council regarding the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, called for an immediate halt to executions and the immediate release of detainees, including women, girls, lawyers, journalists, and human rights defenders.