[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] In Iran, where anti-government protests have been ongoing for nearly three months, news has emerged that executions are scheduled for 24 protesters.
The moderate and reformist newspaper Daily Etemad reported on the 10th (local time) citing judicial officials that 25 protesters have been sentenced to death so far, and one of these sentences has already been carried out. The judiciary explained, "They were punished according to the law for waging war against God."
Earlier, the judiciary executed the death sentence on protester Mosen Shekari (23) on the 8th. This was the first execution of a protester since the protests began in September. Shekari was sentenced to death for occupying a road in Tehran on September 25 and injuring security forces with a weapon.
The news of the executions by the Iranian judiciary has drawn widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally. Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid in Iran pointed out that sentencing someone to death for blocking roads and injuring security forces is a ruling that contradicts Sharia (Islamic law).
The European Union (EU) External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service, strongly condemned the actions, urging, "Iranian authorities should refrain from death sentences and any further executions, and pursue consistent policies toward the complete abolition of the death penalty." Amnesty International also criticized, stating, "The execution carried out less than a month after the guilty verdict reveals the inhumanity of the Iranian judicial system."
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