UN calls on Iran to halt executions of protesters News
© WikiMedia Commons (VOA)
UN calls on Iran to halt executions of protesters

The United Nations (UN) has called on the Iranian government to stop executing individuals who were sentenced to death for participating in anti-government protests Wednesday. The UN fact-finding mission urged Iranian authorities to release all those detained for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of the press to report on the protests.

The UN’s call for an end to the death penalty for those involved in anti-government demonstrations follows the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of Iran’s morality police in September 2022. Her death sparked widespread protests across the country, which have been met with a harsh crackdown by Iranian authorities. Several individuals have been executed for their alleged involvement in the unrest, which Iran’s leaders have blamed on Western adversaries.

According to the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, at least 26 individuals have reportedly been sentenced to death in connection with the protests, and dozens more have been charged with offenses carrying the death penalty. Seven men have been executed following “hasty proceedings marred by serious allegations of fair trial violations,” according to the UN.

The UN mission called on the Iranian authorities to stop the executions of individuals convicted and to make available the judicial files, evidence and judgments regarding each of those convicted. The UN also reiterated its requests for the release of all those detained for exercising their right to peaceful assembly.

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