Iran issues three more death sentences to protesters

Tehran, Nov 16 (EFE).- Iranian courts on Wednesday handed down three more death sentences to people accused of participating in the protests that have spread throughout the country over the last two months.

The number of death sentences issued since Sunday now stands at five.

They were issued by a court in the capital against a man for allegedly killing a police officer with a car, another for allegedly stabbing a security guard, and a third for allegedly damaging public property and “causing terror”, the state-run news agency Mehr reported.

The punishments are to be carried out by hanging, but according to Mehr, they are “preliminary” and can still be appealed.

The new sentences followed one issued on Tuesday, by another court in Tehran, against a person accused of “attacking a person with a knife, setting fire to a motorcycle, and declaring war against the state.”

On Sunday, Iran’s courts issued the first of these sentences to a man for allegedly setting fire to a government building, disturbing public order, and conspiring to commit crimes against national security.

All five convicted men are also accused of moharebeh, Farsi for “enmity against god”, a term used by the Iranian justice system to describe major crimes against the state or Islam; and efsad-fil-arz, “corruption on earth”, which refers to a series of offenses against public security or to Islamic morals.

The protests began in mid-September over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, while in police custody for allegedly not wearing her headscarf according to the Islamic dress code

Iran’s judiciary authorities have charged roughly 2,000 protesters since the beginning of the unrest.

Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway estimates that at least 342 people, including 43 minors, have been killed by national forces. EFE

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