Iran carries out first execution over anti-government protests

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• Dec 8, 2022 | Dhupali Das

Mahsa Amini, 22, reportedly died in the custody of Iran's Morality Police after being imprisoned in September for allegedly violating hijab rules...

Digital Desk: Iran has announced the first execution of a man convicted in connection with recent anti-government protests.

As per the BBC, Mohsen Shekari was executed earlier this morning after a Revolutionary Court declared him guilty of "enmity against God." Shekari was also charged with being a "rioter" who, in September, blocked the main route in Tehran and injured a paramilitary force with a machete.

An activist said he was sentenced after a "show trial without due process." Iranian Human Rights Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam tweeted that unless Iranian authorities face "rapid practical consequences internationally," executions of protesters will start to take place daily.

Earlier, on November 1, the court found Shekari guilty of fighting and drawing a weapon "with the goal of killing, causing panic, and upsetting the order and security of society" and convicted him of "enmity against God."

Although he filed an appeal against the judgment, the Supreme Court upheld it on November 20.

In connection with the protests, Revolutionary Courts have also punished 10 additional people on the grounds of "enmity against God" or "corruption on Earth." The names of the defendants have not yet been made public.

Protests erupted in Iran following the death of a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini. Mahsa Amini, 22, reportedly died in the custody of Iran's Morality Police after being imprisoned in September for allegedly violating hijab rules. Men have also joined the protests to demonstrate support for their women and, most recently, to celebrate Iran's football team's defeat to the United States of America. The protests were one of the country's largest anti-government movements since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the unrest, with the activist HRANA news agency claiming that 470 protestors had died as of Saturday, including 64 minors. According to the report, 61 security personnel were killed and 18,210 protesters were taken into custody.