As Iran enters its eighth week of public unrest following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, the country’s Revolutionary Court on Sunday handed down its first known death sentence for her involvement in anti-regime protests.
According to the judiciary’s online page Mizan Online, the unidentified defendant set fire to a government construction and was found guilty of “disturbing public order and comfort, community and collusion to commit a crime contrary to national security. “
Five people were sentenced to prison terms of five to ten years, according to the decision, on charges of violating national security and public order.
The decisions are subject to appeal and the main points of the case will be announced until the final verdict.
At least 326 other people have been killed in one of the most difficult situations supported by the Iranian regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to Norwegian nongovernmental organization Iran Human Rights.
The use of capital punishment is a new tool in the government’s toolbox to quell anti-government protests.
According to the United Nations, some 14,000 more people have been arrested and detained since the protests began just two months ago. Some 1,000 more people in Tehran have been charged for their alleged involvement in the unrest.
Before Sunday, those involved in the protests were charged with crimes punishable by death, namely “making war on God” and “corruption on earth. “
“We urge the Iranian government to avoid the death penalty as a tool to quell protests,” the UN said in a statement, reiterating the organization’s call to release the protesters.
Ramin Forouzandeh, an Iranian doctoral student founded in Toronto, told CNBC that while he believes lawmakers have a “desire” to hang each and every protester, they worry that this could trigger more serious waves of protests.
“I think they’re testing their limits. I can say with confidence that if the protests subside, they will start hanging the prisoners and redoubling the repression. “
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