Iran has executed three men over their role in anti-government protests, with judiciary news outlet Mizan News naming them as Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaqoubi. The three had been accused of an attack that resulted in the death of three police officers during the protests which took place in Isfahan in 2019. Human rights groups have condemned Iran’s use of the death penalty, which has increased significantly in recent years, with Amnesty International spokesperson Diana Eltahawy describing the executions as “vengeance against a courageous generation…”
Iran executes 3 men over violence during last year's anti-government protests
CBC
23-05-19 07:33
Iran has executed three men for their role in protests that swept the country in 2019. Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were put to death in the central city of Isfahan over their alleged role in the deaths of two members of the Basij paramilitary force and a law enforcement officer. The individuals were linked to events that erupted in September 2019 following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman being detained by authorities for violating the country’s dress code. The social unrest expanded into wider demonstrations aimed at toppling the country’s theocratic government. Seven people have now been executed in the wake of the protests. Rights groups claimed that the cases were marked by torture, forced confessions and procedural irregularities.
Iran has carried out the executions of three men accused of killing members of the country’s security forces during anti-regime protests last year. Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi Sheikh Shabani and Saeed Yaghoubi Kordsofla were hung in the early hours of Friday. The co-ordinated and terrorist acts committed by the men involved the deaths of three members of the security forces in the city of Isfahan, according to the Mizan news agency which is affiliated with Iran’s judiciary. Critics of the regime had called for the death sentences against the men not to be carried out. The unrest sparked by the killing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in custody after being accused of not wearing an Islamic dress, led to the largest protests seen since the Iranian revolution of 1979.
On Friday, Iran executed three men for their involvement in killing members of the security forces during protests triggered by the death of Jina Mahsa Amini last year. Capital punishment, for the charge of "moharebeh" or "war against God," was meted out to Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi who drew a gun during a demonstration in such a way as to cause the death of two members of the Basij paramilitary force and a law enforcement officer, Iran's judiciary website stated. They were also charged with membership of "illegal groups with the intention of disrupting national security and collusion leading to crimes against internal security." The men were said to have been tortured and they claimed they were forced into televised confessions and denied due process. Iran executed almost 600 people in 2022, which reflects a sharp increase from 333 the previous year, with rights groups criticizing the practice.
Iran has executed three men convicted of "war against God" for their part in the deaths of state security forces during protests. The men were charged with illegally disrupting national security and colluding to lead crimes against internal security; they reportedly drew guns during a demonstration in central Isfahan that led to the deaths of two members of the Basij paramilitary force and a law enforcement official. Rights groups say the men were denied due process and subjected to torture and forced into confessing. Kamran Matin, a senior lecturer in international relations specializing in the Middle East at the University of Sussex, says the defendants "didn't have their own appointed lawyers", and that their trial "was typical of Iran's legal system". Iran has been widely criticized for issuing death sentences for "enmity against God" and "spreading corruption on earth", and the US State Department had called on Iran not to carry out the executions.
Iran has executed three men accused of causing deadly violence against security officers during last year’s anti-government protests. The men were convicted of “waging war against God” and all had allegedly killed a police officer and two members of the paramilitary Basij group in Isfahan last November during nation-wide unrest in the country. Local and foreign human rights groups have denounced the trial procedures, which were characterised by allegations of forced confessions and other irregularities.
Recent events in Israel have led to many questions. Rockets began pouring across the border after Israel made targeted air strikes on three senior ranking members of the Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad. The confrontation evolved into five days of fighting, which killed 33 Palestinians and two Israelis. Hamas, which has a tacit non-competition clause with Islamic Jihad, remained relatively quiet. So what has changed? Experts suggest that Islamic Jihad is improving and their ties with Hamas are strengthening, with unexpected regional politics providing both groups with a better reason than ever to join forces. Hamas has become cosy with Iran, breaking decades of friction with Islamic Jihad, with both groups seeing the benefits of close cooperation. Unlike previous operations, Islamic Jihad was given free rein to respond to Israeli attacks, and was even given shelter and logistical assistance by Hamas. All of which has led to one conclusion - Gaza is no longer the same Gaza.
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania has made her first entry to the Cannes Film Festival's top prize with her film "Four Daughters," which mixes fiction and documentary to tell the story of Olfa Hamrouni. The only Arab film in the competition, it follows Hamrouni, who criticised the Tunisian authorities in 2016 after her daughters joined Islamic State in Libya. Aware that Hamrouni had already been conditioned by journalists, Ben Hania hired actors to play the missing daughters and asked Hamrouni to coach Hind Sabri, who portrays her in the film, on specific details and motivations.
Iran has announced it has executed the head of a human trafficking organisation that sent Iranian girls and women to other countries for prostitution, according to reports from Reuters. Shahrooz Sakhnoori, known as Alex, was captured in Malaysia and transferred to Iran in 2020. He was sentenced to death in September 2021. Reuters reports Iranian authorities have also executed Saleh Mirhashemi, Saeed Yaqoubi and Majid Kazemi over their alleged involvement in a fatal shooting attack on security personnel in Isfahan in November 2019. Amnesty International has called the three men's trials unfair and says they were tortured.
Transgender activists in Pakistan have said they plan to appeal the Federal Shariat Court’s ruling that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, passed in 2018, is in contravention of Islamic doctrine. The Act protects transgender rights and ensures access to legal gender recognition. The Court overturned several provisions, including allowing a person to alter their gender on the basis of “innermost feeling” or “self-perceived identity”. Religious factions argued that the Act may promote homosexuality. Human rights groups expressed concern that the ruling would further marginalise Pakistan’s transgender community.
“Double-barrel-named” designers of classic English gardens are deterring non-white communities from the Chelsea Flower Show, said Manoj Malde, diversity and inclusion ambassador at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Malde said the design of the “paradise garden” exhibit at RHS Bridgewater in Salford neglected details of the “mughal garden” which made it a missed opportunity in a community with diverse backgrounds including Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi. Malde criticised RHS exhibitions for featuring only white designers of rose and country gardens, and called for the participation of designers reflective of other heritages.
Iran’s hijab law has become a cause of public dissent due to economic difficulties caused by US sanctions, and as a symbol of a political system that has struggled to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The dress code has sparked protests for years, with women calling for both regime change and democratic systems. Women and men face the death penalty for homosexuality, and many activists fear that a public backlash against LGBTQ rights could lead to heightened violence. The Islamic Republic's leadership is unwilling to take on the judiciary while such a powerful force of religious Iranians back the regime. However, some senior religious figures have spoken out against enforcing the hijab, while others have urged leaders to push back against the influence of western culture. Despite hostility towards the political establishment seen as having the wrong priorities, many religious Muslims continue to support the regime.
Iran's Foreign Ministry has summoned Switzerland's ambassador and demanded that the country "correct" a tweet condemning the recent execution of three anti-government protesters in Iran. The Swiss embassy had posted a tweet calling on Iran to “‘take steps to reduce” the use of the death penalty. Iran's foreign ministry called the act "unconventional and unprofessional" in a statement, citing the use of the wrong flag in a photo included in the tweet. Switzerland is one of the few countries with diplomatic relations with Iran, which does not recognise Israel, the US or many Western European countries.
Conservationists in Egypt have warned that the government’s bulldozing of a cemetery housing ancient tombs and mausoleums risks the destruction of many previously unknown artefacts. The cemetery, the “City of the Dead”, is a 7 km Unesco World Heritage site and is being excavated to make way for President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s new administrative capital, which is being billed as the new capital of Egypt. However, many of the cemetery’s antiquities are not officially registered, leading some to claim that they are being destroyed in ignorance.
Human Rights Watch is calling on the Indonesian government to support the national Press Council's efforts to protect university media outlets and mediate their disputes with school authorities. The Indonesian Student Press Association found that between 2020 and 2021, there were 48 cases of university administrators intimidating or shutting down student media outlets, among the 185 cases of alleged press-related abuses on campuses in the country. The Press Council is responsible for mediating defamation disputes, but does not protect student media outlets. Most Indonesian universities have at least one student media outlet, such as a newspaper, magazine, or online news site.
Human Rights Watch is calling on the Indonesian government to support the national Press Council's efforts to protect university media outlets and mediate their disputes with school authorities. The Indonesian Student Press Association found that between 2020 and 2021, there were 48 cases of university administrators intimidating or shutting down student media outlets, among the 185 cases of alleged press-related abuses on campuses in the country. The Press Council is responsible for mediating defamation disputes, but does not protect student media outlets. Most Indonesian universities have at least one student media outlet, such as a newspaper, magazine, or online news site.
Human Rights Watch is calling on the Indonesian government to support the national Press Council's efforts to protect university media outlets and mediate their disputes with school authorities. The Indonesian Student Press Association found that between 2020 and 2021, there were 48 cases of university administrators intimidating or shutting down student media outlets, among the 185 cases of alleged press-related abuses on campuses in the country. The Press Council is responsible for mediating defamation disputes, but does not protect student media outlets. Most Indonesian universities have at least one student media outlet, such as a newspaper, magazine, or online news site.
