Children sentenced to death in Iran – their crime: “War against God” 33-year-old suspected of murder after the death of American rapper Takeoff

Their names are Mohammad and Ali Rakhshani Azad. They are 16 and 15 years old. And they were sentenced to death in Iran. Her crime: «War against God».

And they’re not the only ones likely to hang soon.

Mohammad and Ali Rakhshani Azad

The British human rights initiative “Baloch Campaign” has announced the death sentences of Mohammad and Ali Rakhshani Azad. Her crime: “War against God” or “Moharebeh” in Persian. The Criminal Court in the southeastern city of Zahedan in Balochistan province issued the ruling, the children’s lawyer Ali Karimi told the campaign.

The human rights activist, Abdullah Aref, wrote in a tweetthat he could speak to the father of the brothers. He said:

Mohammad and Ali were picked up from their home on Oct. 9 and have been in jail ever since, Karimi said. The arrest took place shortly after the so-called “Blood Friday” on September 30 in Zahedan. At the time, security forces used violence against demonstrators and opened fire on worshipers gathered at a mosque for Friday prayers. The clashes culminated in street fighting in which more than 60 protesters, including children, were killed, Amnesty International said. Authorities said dissidents instigated the clashes.

But despite the violence, the people of Zahedan did not give up. Since the start of the current widespread protests, videos of people chanting against the regime in the streets have been circulating on social media.

Anger against the regime in Zahedan was fueled not only by the death of Mahsa Amini, but also by allegations that a police officer raped a young Baluchi girl.

Balochistan, near Iran’s southeastern border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to an ethnic minority estimated at two million people. The region has been tested for rebellion. According to human rights organizations, local people have been facing discrimination and oppression for decades. Therefore, the region has repeatedly been the center of unrest, where Iranian security forces have been attacked by Baluchi fighters.

“War Against God”

But what does a conviction for “war against God” (“Moharebeh”) mean in Iran? Pegah Bani Hashemi, a lawyer and legal adviser in the United States, spoke to BBC Persian about the legal definition of this term:

“Moharebeh” includes crimes such as terrorism. In Iran in particular, the charge is also brought against those who commit acts against the government and is considered a capital offense punishable by death.

According to human rights experts, the Iranian government likes to use accusations of war and corruption, which can carry the death penalty, to silence protests, according to the BBC Persian.

Capital punishment as a form of political repression

Iranian Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022. Her death was the spark that ignited a nationwide fire in Iran: the people are rising up against the regime. They protest and demand more freedoms and the overthrow of the government.

The regime has arrested thousands of people during the ongoing protests. Some of those arrested have already been sentenced, others are likely to receive the same distribution as Mohammad and Ali Rakhshani Azad: the death penalty for “war against God”.

The death penalty, sometimes negotiated at show trials, is another form of political repression in Iran – just as it was after the Green Movement in 2009, when the judiciary publicly tried critics of the regime. There are already known cases of detainees who had to confess in front of the camera.

Rapper Toomaj Salehi, who is on trial in Isfahan, is currently causing a stir – but behind closed doors and without the presence of his lawyer, his social media channels say. Salehi is also accused of «war against God».

The well-known musician had previously publicly criticized the political leadership and used his music to sing against the brutality of the Islamic Republic. Pro-regime media recently released a video claiming that the rapper is blindfolded and apologizes for his words. Relatives say that Salehi made these statements under torture.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said:

The (threatened) death sentences underline that the leadership wants to show toughness to deter the population from further protests. And she doesn’t shy away from putting the country’s future on the gallows.