“Enmity against God”: Iran sentences first protester to death
Other 20 Iranians could face death sentences soon. Around 320 have died in clashes with the Iranian security. Christians support the prostests.
Iran Human Rights, BBC · TEHRAN · 14 NOVEMBER 2022 · 12:37 CET
An unnamed Iranian will be the first protester to be executed in Iran in connection with the pro-democracy protests in the Middle Eastern country that started in September after the death in custody of a young woman detained by the so-called morality police.
According to state media, the Revolutionary Court sentenced an unnamed person to death for setting fire to a government building, guilty of moharebeh, a legal term of the Islamic Sharia law which means “enmity against God”. He was also charged with efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth).
Iran is a theocratic Islamic Republic ruled the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989. He is in charge of appointing the key judiciary posts in the country.
The protests in the last two months in over 140 cities have become the most challenging against the authoritarian regime.
According to NGO Iran Human Rights, around 20 other protesters are now “facing security-related charges that carry the death penalty”. The “forced confessions of eleven unnamed defendants in the case [including one woman] have already been aired by the Islamic Republic state television”, the NGO confirmed.
Iran Human Rights warned about the “possibility of hasty executions without any prewarning” and called European countries to summon their ambassadors in Iran.
So far, over 2,000 people have been charged with participating in the “recent riots”, the judiciary said.
On 14 November, the European Union said it was going to approve "another package of sanctions against the people responsible for the repression of the demonstrators".
Iranian Christians support fight for human rights
Iranian Christians inside and outside the country have expressed their support for the protests.
“We are all together, regardless of ethnicity, religion, language or belief, in this fight against the shared pain of injustice, oppression and religious dictatorship”, a statement signed by the Council of Iranian Churches in the UK said.
In Turkey, Iranian Christians demonstrated against the theocratic government.
Christian media broadcasters are also reaching Iranians in the country with messages supporting freedom and human rights.
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