Iran has suspended the executions of three young men sentenced to death on anti-government demonstrations last year, according to one of their attorneys.
Babak Paknia informed journalists that the Supreme Court of the country had embraced the request for a retrial.
The decision comes after a hashtag was used millions of times online against the three men’s execution.
Iran is experiencing mounting hardship due to US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic. However, Iran’s clerical rulers have been working to avoid the reemergence of anti-government protests in November last year. Besides, it is the scariest street violence since the 1979 revolution.
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Amirhossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi, and Saeed Tamjidi, reported to be in their twenties, were among the thousands of demonstrators in November. They filled the streets last November against the government ‘s decision to increase the petrol price.
The three men received their death sentence earlier this year. However, it was the ruling of the supreme court to uphold the sentence that sparked widespread outrage. The Persian hashtag #do_not_execute gained seven million tractions online.
November Uprising
According to the human rights group Amnesty International, the government killed over 300 demonstrators and thousands of others unlawfully detained. That was during the crackdown by the authorities against the November uprisings.
Last Thursday, security agents fired tear gas to discharge protesters in the southwestern city of Behbahan, witnesses noted. These were protesters who were agitating against economic difficulties. Also, the protest included death sentences against the three men. The death sentences of Amirhossein Moradi, 25, Mohammad Rajabi, 25, and Saeed Tamjidi, 27, have been confirmed by the Iranian court.
Iran is carrying out more executions than any other nation, excluding China. It chose to use the death penalty regardless of the recent outbreaks of Covid-19 in the Middle East.
Most Iranian human rights groups concluded that by carrying out executions and condemning demonstrators to death, authorities are trying to terrorize citizens away from taking to the streets, says BBC Persian’s Jiyar Gol.
