User:Melrymi/Capital punishment in Iran

On November 19th, 2022, the twenty-three-year-old born in Mashhad, Majidreza Rahnavard, was convicted by the Iranian court of “enmity against God” since he was accused of stabbing and killing of two members of the paramilitary "Basij Resistance Force," Danial Rezazadeh and Hossein Zeinalzadeh. Majidreza was hanged a mere 23 days after his arrest. Human rights organizations such as the United Nations have expressed distress and concern that protesters are being sentenced to death following sham trials with no due process. Rahnavard's mother was only informed of his execution after his death and was later given the cemetery's name and plot number. Upon arrival at the cemetery, Rahnavard’s family was welcomed by the sight of security Guards burying his body. (Gritten, D. 2022) A vote was cast in November by the UN Human Rights Council to initiate an investigation into Iran's handling of the demonstrations. Still, Tehran refused to cooperate because the mission was "political." On Wednesday, December 14th, 2022, Iran's expulsion from the UN Commission on the Status of Women will be put to a vote, which the UN Watch predicts will pass overwhelmingly despite Tehran's objections. Australia and New Zealand have recently joined the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada in blacklisting a handful of Iranian officials and entities in response to the ongoing protests, which Tehran has condemned. Rahnavard's execution on Monday, similar to Shekari's, showed how quickly the Iranian judiciary is handling cases involving the protests. He was executed less than a month after his arrest. On November 17, the judiciary claimed Rahnavard committed a "terrorist" act, and two days later, he was reportedly arrested for “Moharebeh,” the Farsi definition for "waging war against God."(Motamedi, M. 2022) Majidreza Rahnavard’s trial took place in Mashhad, Khorasan-e Razavi Province, over the course of just one session before a "Revolutionary Court." November 29th where he was convicted of “enmity against God” (Moharebeh) (Amnesty International, 2022). Rahnavard was denied access to a lawyer of his own choice. He was assigned a lawyer, but he didn't present a defense, (BBC News, 2022), just like Mohsen Shekari, who, according to Iran human rights, was denied access to his lawyer during his interrogation and legal proceedings (BBC News, 2022).

Footage aired on state Tv showed a man, which Iranian authorities identified as Majidreza Rahnavard, chasing and stabbing another man around a street corner after he fell against a parked motorbike and then stabbing another man immediately after (CBC News, 2022) State Tv alleged that Rahnavard was arrested while trying to flee the country in Semnan (CBC News, 2022), the Capital city of Semnan Province, 640 km west of Mashhad, where the crime was committed, two days after the death of the two members of the paramilitary.

Furthermore, the acceleration of this specific use of the death penalty proves it to be a dictatorship that is the most uncompromising and extreme element, all under the leadership of supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Ali Khamenei is an Iranian cleric and politician who previously served as president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. This shows the level of power in his voice and actions (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2022). Originally, the protests sparked opposition to force the veiling of women in general to the death in custody of 22- year-old Mahsa Amini. Khamenei holds power as he can sway over pragmatic voices. It saddens the world as more individuals are being executed for having a voice and fighting injustice (Independent Digital News and Media, 2022). A dozen others have been suspected and sentenced to this death penalty, and other activities are being warned to be careful. Certain situations, such as closed-door hearings, are an aspect of this as well. Another young male of the age of 23-years-old Mahan Sedarat faces execution after the judiciary confirmed his sentence. Through social media, others were raising awareness and attempting to revote his sentence and save his life. The young man was transferred to Rajaei Shahr prison in the city of Karaj, which is in the west of the capital of Tehran, which ended up being the place where his tragic execution occurred for being a human rights activist (Fazeli, 2022). It is known that at least 488 people have officially been killed during the protest in Iran for standing up for what they believe in. From a bigger perspective, another 18,200 have likely been detained by officials in Iran (Independent Digital News and Media, 2022).