Rights groups express alarm at imminent Iran executions of protesters

Human rights groups express dismay that Iran’s authorities are poised to execute more young men accused of taking part in January’s mass anti-government protests.

The Islamic Republic’s officials have recently carried out executions nearly every week, including public hangings in the city of Isfahan.

International observers say the cases appear to be part of a broader effort by Tehran to show zero tolerance for dissent, as the country is locked in a war with the United States.

The independent Norway-based rights NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) says in a statement that Benyamin Naghdi, a 26-year-old arrested during the January protests in the city of Shiraz, has had his death sentence upheld by Iran’s supreme court.

It says the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz condemned him to death after he was arrested for spraying a fire extinguisher at security forces on motorbikes. His lawyer has filed for a retrial.

The charges levelled against the young MMA fighter and kickboxer included “membership of groups disrupting national security, assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security and propaganda activities against the system,” IHR quotes Naghdi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, as telling an Iranian news outlet.

IHL and Amnesty International say Naghdi was convicted on the basis of a “forced confession,” broadcast on state television, and found guilty of “corruption on earth” — which carries a sentence of death.

Thirteen experts working as special UN rapporteurs on Monday said the Islamic Republic’s authorities seemed intent on quashing any form of dissent. Thousands were killed in the regime’s crackdown on the protests, with some groups putting the death toll far higher.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.