The Islamic Republic of Iran executed another protester in a prison in the western province of Hamedan at dawn on Thursday, escalating tensions and prompting a full-scale militarisation of the city.
According to the Norwegian-based rights group Hengaw, 21-year-old Milad Zohrevand was executed in secret, without prior notification, and his family was not allowed to see him one last time.
Zohrevand was sentenced to death for killing a government officer during the nationwide Jin Jiyan Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) protests sparked by the death of Jîna Mahsa Amini last year.
The execution led to increased deployment of government forces in public areas around the prison.
The lack of notification and the denial of a final farewell demonstrate a blatant disregard for humanitarian principles, Hengaw said, citing violations of the right to life and serious human rights abuses.
An earlier report by Hengaw warned of threats to Zohrevand’s life, highlighting pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which had taken over representation of the deceased’s family. The IRGC reportedly demanded Zohrevand’s execution without the explicit consent of the family.
Zohrevand was arrested by the IRGC along with five others during protests on 27 October 2022.
Iran has hanged eight protesters to date and has over 100 others on death row.
Eight protesters, detained during the Women Life Freedom Movement, have been sentenced to execution by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and their sentences have been carried out.
1. Mohsen Shakeri, 23, from Tehran, was executed on December 8, 2022.
2.… pic.twitter.com/P4TCsbtth3— Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (@Hengaw_English) November 23, 2023
