Executions in Iran Feared to Escalate Following Public Hanging of Majidreza Rahnavard
GHRTV Reporter
Hamish Brady
Middle East and Human Rights Researcher
Global Human Rights Defence
The aftermath of anti-government protests that have taken place in Iran over the last three months has been marked by the public hanging of 23-year-old Majidreza Rahnavard on Monday 12th December in the northeastern city of Mashhad. This follows the initial execution of Mohsen Shekari, a 23-year-old man, last Thursday. The Revolutionary Court that sentenced Mr. Rahnavard made a public statement, claiming the sentence was due to his ‘enmity against God’ after finding he had murdered two members of the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary group associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and a central instrument in the state’s ongoing crackdown on those involved in the protests [1]. It has been reported that Mr. Rahnavard’s trial - which took place behind closed doors [2] - was tantamount to a ‘sham’ [3] whereby he was barred from challenging the evidence brought against him, prevented from choosing his own lawyer, and which came just 23 days after his arrest [4].
The practice of public executions in Iran is not new, dating back most notably to the 1980s following the purge of dissidents in the aftermath of the revolution [5]. However, this particular event brings it with an added sense of foreboding as it follows the sentencing of 400 other anti-government protestors to up to 10 years in prison after the Mizan news agency - a pro-government outlet - made clear its response to ‘rioters’ [6]. Indeed, the Human Rights Activists’ News Agency (HRANA) has reported that more than 18, 200 people have been arrested in connection with the protests and that 490 protestors have been killed [7].
Rights groups have responded. Indeed, Amnesty International has identified 20 other persons at risk of execution while stating that the judiciary is "a tool of repression sending individuals to the gallows to spread fear and exacting revenge on protesters daring to stand up to the status quo" [8]. Similarly, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group, echoed this statement, claiming ‘there is a serious risk of mass execution of protestors’ and that Mr. Rahnavard was subject to ‘coerced confessions [...] a grossly unfair process and a show trial’ [9].
The UN Human Rights Council’s establishment of a fact-finding mission to Iran last month, created in order “to thoroughly and independently investigate alleged human rights violations in Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022” [10], has not deterred the state’s public crackdown. Following the execution on Monday, Gholamali Sadeghi, the Judiciary Chief of Razavi Khorasan, claimed the event answered ‘public demands for establishing order and security and dealing with rioters and law-breakers’ [11]. Subsequent public statements by judiciary and state officials warn of further executions. In a blanket statement by judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi, protestors have been labelled as committing moharebeh, or ‘waging war against God’, an act punishable by the death sentence [12].
Notes:
[1] The Guardian (2022, December 12). Scores of executions feared in Iran as 23-year-old hanged in public killing https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/12/scores-of-executions-feared-in-iran-as-23-year-old-hanged-in-public-execution
[2] BBC News (2022, December 12). Majidreza Rahnavard: Iran carries out second execution over protests. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-63939428
[3] ibid
[4] The Guardian (2022, December 12). Scores of executions feared in Iran as 23-year-old hanged in public killing https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/12/scores-of-executions-feared-in-iran-as-23-year-old-hanged-in-public-execution
[5] ibid
[6] BBC News (2022, December 13). Iran protests: 400 people sentenced to prison over Tehran unrest. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-63960395
[7] ibid
[8] Amnesty International (2022, December 12). Iran: Public execution of Majidreza Rahnavard exposes authorities’ revenge killings,
[9] BBC News (2022, December 12). Majidreza Rahnavard: Iran carries out second execution over protests. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-63939428
[10] United Nations Human Rights Council, (2022, November 24). Human Rights Council Establishes Fact-finding Mission to Investigate Alleged Human Rights Violations in Iran Related to the Protests that Began on 16 September 2022,
[11] Aljazeera, (2022, December 12). Iran publicly carries out second protest-related execution.
[12] ibid
