Mustafa Salehi, one of the detainees of the January 2017 protests, was executed
The Judiciary News Agency says that the death sentence of Mustafa Salehi, one of those arrested during the January 2017 protests in Kahrizsang, Najafabad, has been carried out.
Previously, the website of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) stated that concerns about the execution of Mr. Salehi's death sentence had increased with the publication of reports of his transfer to solitary confinement to carry out his death sentence.
HRANA had said on Tuesday, quoting relatives of the prisoner, that Mr. Salehi had not had contact with his family in the last 24 hours (until August 5), and that "this situation and the continued lack of information about him have added to concerns about the fate of this citizen."
According to reports, Mustafa Salehi was among those arrested during the widespread protests in January 2017 in Kahrizsang, Isfahan.
These reports indicate that Mr. Salehi was accused of "murdering" a Basij soldier.
Mizan News Agency wrote on Wednesday that Mustafa Salehi "opened fire with a hunting rifle" and killed "Basij Guardsman Sajjad Shahsanaei."
The court was presided over by Morad Ali Najafpour. However, no further specific information was provided following the announcement of the court's formation, and it is not even clear who represented him.
Mizan News Agency announced the execution of the death sentence on the morning of August 6, but has not provided any specific details other than the initial charges.
Human rights watchdogs and defenders have strongly accused the Islamic Republic's judicial system of violating basic principles, including the right to access a lawyer of their choice, and say that many sentences, especially those of political prisoners, have been issued following their severe torture.
The Islamic Republic's judiciary has rejected these accusations and emphasized that it will not "surrender" to these criticisms and protests.
At the same time, the executions themselves are facing widespread criticism, especially since the Islamic Republic, along with China, is at the top of the list of countries that execute citizens.
The death sentences include a number of protesters who were arrested in previous years during or after mass protests, protests against the existing political, economic, and social conditions that were also suppressed in the streets.
Recently, following reports of the imminent execution of three protesters arrested in November 2019, a widespread virtual wave of protest against death sentences emerged, which gained global resonance.
Following those widespread protests, although the execution of the three protesters, Mr. Amir Hossein Moradi, Mr. Mohammad Rajabi, and Mr. Saeed Tamjidi, has been halted for the time being, the Judiciary Spokesperson said, "We do not owe them any favors at all."
Source: Radio Farda
