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Sejed-Mohammed H. († 39) …
For weeks, people in Iran have been taking to the streets and expressing their displeasure with the mullahs’ regime. But this shows no mercy with the demonstrators and does not shy away from violence or other brutalities.
The resisters face arrest at any time, whether it’s in the middle of the night or on their way to work. Sometimes they just disappear and never appear again. Even her relatives remain in the dark.
Violence against security officials as reason for death sentence
According to information from the Iranian human rights organization “Hrana”, more than 19,000 people have been arrested since the beginning of the protests against the Islamist regime around Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (83). Only the very few are released. Often it is about alleged violence against Iranian security forces or riots during the protests.
Most of those caught by the regime face dire consequences. There have even been executions. Four, to be exact, have already been hit. According to the Iranian judicial authority, the two men Mohammed-Mehdi K. († 22), a karate fighter and martial arts teacher Sejed-Mohammed H. († 39) were hanged in the early hours of the morning on Saturday.
They were accused of killing a security officer and member of the notorious paramilitary Basij unit of the Revolutionary Guards during anti-system protests in November.
Mohammed-Mehdi K. grew up with his parents in a small village in the Kurdistan region. Most recently, according to a report by “Spiegel”, he is said to have lived in Karaj, west of Tehran. However, little is known about the second man to be executed, Sejed Mohammed H. According to reports on social media, he has struggled with mental health issues since the death of his parents. As a martial arts teacher, he is said to have taught socially disadvantaged children. In addition, he is said to have earned his living on a poultry farm.
Sanctions collapse Iran’s economy
According to the judicial authority, the two men had admitted in court to having stabbed an allegedly unarmed security officer with a knife during protests in Karaj, a suburb of the capital Tehran. The appeal for clemency by the two accused was rejected by the Supreme Court and the death sentence was upheld.
Last December, two death sentences were carried out against rap musicians Mohsen S. († 23) and Majid-Resa R. for alleged murder and attempted murder of two Basij members. The executions caused horror at home and abroad. The EU, for example, then decided on further sanctions against Iran.
According to experts, these have exacerbated the already acute economic crisis and inflation. The national currency, the rial, lost more than 25 percent of its value after the protests. In view of the developments in the country, there is no end in sight to the financial crisis. Some observers even fear an economic collapse in the oil-rich country.
Fewer protests, but in a different form
There are now fewer street demonstrations, which the security apparatus is cracking down on with the utmost severity. According to observers, however, the poverty of millions of Iranians has the potential to trigger another wave of protests.
The protests continue in other forms. In big cities in particular, many women refuse to wear the obligatory headscarf. In December scores of shopkeepers did not open their shops for several days in protest.
The trigger for the nationwide protests in Iran was the death of the Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini in mid-September. She died in police custody after being arrested by the so-called morality police for violating Islamic dress codes. Since then there have been repeated protests against the government’s repressive course and the Islamic system of rule. (ced/SDA)