15 Dissidents in Iran Face Imminent Execution, Amnesty Warns

Amnesty International has warned of the imminent threat of execution for at least 15 individuals involved in the protests, following what it describes as "grossly unfair sham trials."

At least eight of these individuals, Amnesty says, are awaiting execution following their involvement in the "Woman Life Freedom" uprising in Iran.

Among them are Fazel Bahramian, Mahmoud Mehrabi, Mamousta Mohammad Khazrnejad, Manouchehr Mehman Navaz, Mehran Bahramian, Mojahed (Abbas) Kourkouri, Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei and prominent rapper Toomaj Salehi.

In their guilty verdicts, they were accused of "enmity against God" (moharebeh), "corruption on earth" (efsad-e fel arz), and "armed rebellion against the state" (baghi).

"The authorities have severely violated their fair trial rights and subjected many to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings, electric shocks and sexual violence," the group added.

According to Amnesty International, two additional individuals, Saeed Shirazi and Abolfazl Mehri Hossein Hajilou, were tried on capital charges, and at least five others are under investigation for serious offenses related to the protests.

The death of Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022 at the hands of the regime’s “morality police” ignited a series of nationwide protests lasting for months, commonly referred to as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. During this period, authorities reportedly killed at least 550 protesters and detained tens of thousands. The UN has since found Iranian authorities responsible for the physical violence that resulted in Amini's death.

Amnesty International reported last month that 853 people were executed in Iran in 2023, a record number in the last eight years, pointing out that the government uses execution as a tool of political repression and may continue to execute thousands more if the international community does not take action.