Iran’s protests reaching fourth month with two public executions 

Posted Dec. 13, 2022

By Ivan Garz

Staff Reporter

The Iranian nationwide protests began on Sept.16 over the death of 22 year-old Mahsa Amini after she was taken into the custody by the Iranian morality police over “Improper headscarf wear” and ended up being beaten by them in their van, according to eyewitnesses, and in the hospital in a coma with a fractured skull and later brain death according to her doctors. 

Mahsa Amini later died in the hospital and Iran’s morality police denied responsibility for her death claiming the 22 year-old collapsed from a heart attack in their custody. Ahmini’s death kickstarted a series of nationwide protests, beginning in Tehran, where Amini died. 

At this time there have been 450 deaths in the protests according to human rights groups, however it is suspected that there have been more, thousands of protesters have been injured, and 14,000 have been arrested according to the U.N. Within the previous months of Amani’s death, the country’s parliament had passed increased legislation on headscarf wear for the women in the country, penalizing them if the women did not abide by the laws with the country’s Morality Police.

Since the protests began in mid September, the country has been cut off from the internet for weeks on end and has seen a few crack-downs by police and the Iranian security forces. Notably, on October 15, 2022 Tehran’s Evin prison saw fires, explosion, and gunfire that lasted into the next morning killing 8 prisoners and injuring over 60, the cause of the fire is still unknown. Tehran’s Evin prison has been notorious for brutality against prisoners and unwarranted executions by hanging spanning over the past 40 years. The protests saw their first protester-related execution outside of Tehran on Thursday, December 8,2022 by public hanging, 23 year old Mohsen Shekari. On the following Monday, December 12,2022 another prisoner was publicly hanged off a crane with a bag over his head in Mashhad, 23 year old Majidreza Rahnavard. According to human rights groups both Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard’s trials had no judicial due process and were similar to “Lynching Committees” and according to advocates, the prosecutors used coerced confessions to convict both men, according to amnesty.org, a video was broadcasted by state media of Majidreza Rahnavard, 23 giving forced “confessions”, his left arm heavily bandaged and in a cast which raised concerns that he had been tortured. After the unjust executions of both men, vigils have been held in many of Iran’s universities and protests have been exacerbated due to public outrage.

“The horrific execution of Majidreza Rahnavard today exposes Iran’s judiciary for what it is: a tool for repression sending individuals to the gallows to spread fear…” Diana Eltahawy of Amnesty International Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa stated to amnesty.org on December 12,2022.