Iran sentences 89 people in bid to deter future protests

In a move seemingly to deter any future unrest, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has sentenced 89 residents of Likak, a town in the southwest, for their participation in the November 2019 protests.

In November 2019, nationwide protests erupted in Iran after the government unexpectedly tripled fuel prices overnight, sparking widespread outrage across the country. What began as an economic protest quickly escalated into an anti-government movement, with demonstrators in 29 provinces and hundreds of cities voicing their frustration with the Islamic regime.

The government responded by deploying security forces who used live ammunition to suppress the crowds. The crackdown resulted in the deaths of at least 1,500 people, according to Reuters, and a nationwide internet blackout to prevent the world from seeing the full extent of the killings.

In addition, at least 6,000 deaths with "unknown causes" were recorded in November 2019.

These 89 individuals, arrested during the nationwide protests were initially released on bail. Now, years later, they have been dragged back into the judicial system and found guilty by the first investigative branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Likak. Their so-called crimes are "Disrupting public order," "destroying public property," and other charges that the Islamic Republic conveniently uses to silence dissent.

The timing of the sentencing raises questions: why, after five years of silence, has the judiciary suddenly decided to punish the group now, especially amid growing rumors of a potential fuel price hike under President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration?

It is likely that the government wants to send a message: if you dare to challenge the Islamic Republic, you will be hunted down, no matter how much time has passed. The HRANA news agency has published the identities and details of these individuals, a public shaming apparently intended to instill fear in those who might consider taking to the streets in the future.

In Likak, under the direction of Mehrdad Soltani, the judiciary assembled its case against these 89 citizens. The so-called evidence included police videos, intelligence reports, and confessions extracted under dubious circumstances—confessions that are more likely the result of torture than voluntary admissions of guilt.

As Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have reported, the Islamic Republic's use of force during the protests was unprecedented, with the highest death tolls in marginalized regions such as the impoverished towns in Tehran, Khuzestan, and Kermanshah.

Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, sealed the fate of these protesters with his infamous speech on November 17, 2019. Labeling the demonstrators as "thugs, counter-revolutionaries, and enemies," Khamenei not only justified but ordered the crackdown that followed. The message was according to many unambiguous: challenge the regime, and you will be crushed.

Human rights groups and activists have long accused the Islamic Republic’s for using fear as a tool of governance. With the internet blackout and the mass arrests of 2019 still fresh in the collective memory, possibly Tehran is now demonstrating that it has no qualms about revisiting the past to punish those who dared to rise against it.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency or HRANA’s reports suggest that while these people have been convicted, others involved in the same case have been exonerated or had their charges dropped. It is also believed that the selective prosecution serves the Islamic Republic’s broader strategy of creating uncertainty and fear—if you protest, your fate will be decided not by the law, but by the whims of those in power.