In Iran, the death penalty has been handed down to three ‘rioters’ who have protested against the Iranian regime. Iranian state media reported this on Wednesday. Iran has sentenced four demonstrators to death in three days. The death row inmates, who are not identified, are said to have “conspired to commit a crime against national security.” It is unclear exactly what crimes are meant by this. At least 20 more people are at risk of receiving the death penalty, according to the human rights group Iranian Human Rights.
On Sunday, the court in Tehran already had a person sentenced to death for, among other things, setting fire to a government building and “being an enemy of God and for corruption on earth.” Five other suspects were sentenced to prison terms of five to ten years for “gathering and conspiracy to commit crimes against national security and disturbing public order.” On Monday, the European Union and the United Kingdom announced additional sanctions against Iran in response to the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown on protests.
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Violent protests in Iran began after the death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September. Amini was arrested by the vice squad in Tehran because, according to them, she did not wear her headscarf tight enough. After the violent arrest, the woman ended up in a coma and died three days later. Since then, thousands of residents in Iran have taken to the streets to protest against the violent regime.
Since the beginning of the demonstrations, about 340 people have been so far passed away and more than 2,000 people have been charged. Earlier this month, 272 of the 290 voted Iranian lawmakers for the introduction of the death penalty for serious crimes against the state. Human rights organizations fear a spate of executions as leaders use the death penalty to end national protests.