At least 400 protesters sentenced to prison in Tehran
Tehran, Dec 13 (EFE).- Iran has sentenced 400 protesters to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years after publicly hanging a 23-year-old in the second execution linked to the widespread anti-government protests.
The official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) reported on Tuesday that prosecutor Ali Alqasí Mehr said 160 alleged rioters were jailed for five to 10 years, 80 for two to five years, and 160 more for up to two years behind bars.
Mehr said 70 protesters were ordered to pay fines. But he did not specify the amount.
The figure is for Tehran only and the number of those convicted in other parts of the protest-hit country is unknown.
Iran has been shaken for months by protests that have spread across the country following the alleged death in custody of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, 22, in Tehran on Sep.16.
Amini was detained by the morality police on Sep.13 allegedly for improperly donning her hijab.
The unrest has evolved into demands calling for the end of the Islamic republic founded by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979.
Hundreds of people have reportedly died in the almost three months of protests.
The security forces have arrested at least 2,000 people for inciting and participating in demonstrations. Eleven of them have been sentenced to death.
Iran has executed two prisoners, both 23, for their involvement in the protests.
The latest execution on Monday came despite international criticism following its first hanging last week.
Majid Reza Rahnavard was hanged publicly in the holy city of Mashhad for killing two members of the security forces, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.
Rahnavard’s execution came four days after the first hanging of a prisoner linked to the protests.
Human rights groups have denounced the trials as a “sham,” “unfair,” and “retaliatory.”
The brutal police crackdown against protesters has provoked international condemnation and sanctions from Western countries.
The European Union approved on Tuesday the third round of sanctions against Iran for cracking down on anti-regime protesters and sending weapons to Russia in its war against Ukraine. EFE
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