Two Executed in Connection with the 'Shahcheragh Attack'

Iranian news agencies reported the execution of two individuals accused of the armed attack on the 'Shahcheragh Shrine.' According to the state news agency 'IRNA,' the death sentences for 'Mohammad Ramez Rashidi' and 'Seyyed Naeem Hashemi Qatali,' two of the individuals tried by the Islamic Republic's judiciary for their roles in the armed attack on November 25, 2022, were carried out on July 8, 2023, in 'the street adjacent to the shrine.' According to Islamic Republic officials, 13 people were killed during the armed attack on the 'Shahcheragh Shrine' that occurred in November 2022. Many human rights activists and legal experts have questioned the judicial process in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in cases leading to the death penalty. The identification of Mohammad Ramez Rashidi and Naeem Hashemi Qatali as the accused in the 'Shahcheragh attack' has faced skepticism among parts of public opinion. Concurrently with a wave of peaceful protests in Iran since last September, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, November 25, about the armed attack on the Shahcheragh shrine, which resulted in 15 deaths and at least 40 injuries. The Islamic Republic government announced at that time the arrest of the perpetrator of this shooting, blaming 'takfiri terrorists,' a term the Islamic Republic uses for 'radical Sunni Muslim militants.' The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic previously issued a statement regarding the shooting incident at the Shahcheragh complex in Shiraz, claiming that it had arrested '26 takfiri terrorists,' all of whom were 'non-Iranian and of Azerbaijani, Tajik, and Afghan nationalities.' On May 24, Mohammad Ramez Rashidi and Naeem Hashemi Qatali, two of the accused, were sentenced to 'public execution' for charges of 'aiding in corruption on earth, rebellion, and actions against national security' in the case of the 'Shahcheragh attack.' The head of the Fars judiciary described the charges against these two non-Iranian citizens, who have been identified in some reports as Afghan nationals, as 'arming, logistics, support, and directing' the main attacker at the Shahcheragh shrine. Following the wave of executions, the death sentences for the two accused in the Shahcheragh attack were confirmed. Special program: Analyzing the Shahcheragh incident; why did no one believe it? The confirmation of the death sentences for the accused in the 'Shahcheragh attack' in the Supreme Court; 'will be executed soon.' Pegah Bani Hashemi, a legal expert, stated that public execution is a 'repugnant punishment' with 'permanent adverse effects.' The 'public execution' sentences for the two accused in the Shahcheragh attack were confirmed. The Revolutionary Court of Shiraz sentenced two non-Iranian defendants in the 'Shahcheragh case' to 'public execution.' The simultaneous handling of two cases of armed attacks in Iran; 'terrorist' in Shahcheragh, 'personal' at the Azerbaijani embassy.