64-Year-Old Protester In Iran Sentenced To Public Hanging For 'Insulting Prophet'

Political prisoner Shahriar Bayat, 64, imprisoned for participating in the 2022 protests, has been sentenced to public hanging by the Tehran Criminal Court on charges of "insulting the Prophet."

The court based its verdict on social media posts attributed to Bayat as evidence before ordering his public execution by hanging for the alleged offense of "insulting the Prophet".

Bayat was arrested on October 25, 2022 amid the protests which followed the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini. Initially detained for involvement in protests and accused of “propaganda against the regime, insulting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and spreading falsehoods on social media,” Bayat faced additional charges of “social unrest and conspiracy against national security.”

His sentence is the latest in a killing spree of hundreds by the Iranian government which last year executed over 800 Iranians. However, to be hanged in public suggests the regime is doing its utmost to deter dissent as the uprising continues over 18 months after it was sparked.

On similar charges, Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli-Zare were hanged last May in Arak Prison for "insulting the Prophet and sacred values."

The judiciary has executed at least nine protesters in connection with the uprising, including Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Hosseini, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaghoubi, Saleh Mirhashemi, Milad Zohrevand, and Mohammad Ghobadloo.