Iran has been in a state of emergency since the death of the young Kurd Mahsa Amini († 22) on September 16. Activists accuse the police of mistreating the young woman.
Tehran describes the protesters as “rioters” and accuses the United States, other Western countries and exiled Kurdish groups of supporting the protests.
The Iranian daily newspaper “Etemad” published a list drawn up by the judiciary on Saturday on which 25 people were accused of “Moharebeh”. Under Islamic law, this charge of “waging war against God” is punishable by death.
The rapper Mohsen Schekhari († 23) was the first of the demonstrators to be executed last Thursday. The execution of Majid-Resa Rahnaward († 23) followed on Monday morning. The wrestler was hanged from a crane in public.
The executions were harshly criticized internationally. Yet eleven other suspects have already been sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary. The “kill list” includes a few familiar faces.
Four rappers
Other rap musicians are on the list besides Mohsen Schekhari. One of them is the Kurdish rapper Saman Seyedi (27), better known as Saman Yasin. In his protest songs he sings about the oppression of the population in his homeland. After he was arrested at a demonstration against the Islamist regime in Tehran, his mother posted a video message on Twitter. “My son is an artist, not a rioter,” she says. The reason for his arrest is that he would have fired three shots and thus spread unrest and fear.
Rapper Toomaj Salehi (33) is also accused. In his protest songs, he addresses the problems of Iranian society and criticizes the government’s guidelines. On October 28, Salehi gave his last public interview. “We live in a place of terror,” he told Canadian television channel CBC. “We are dealing with a mafia that is willing to kill the entire nation to keep their power, their money and their guns.” He was arrested two days later.
Behrad Ali Konari (28) is listed as the fourth rapper. All are accused of publishing lies and collaborating with hostile governments in the form of propaganda.
Two athletes
Athletes can also be found on the list. In addition to wrestler Majid-Resa Rahnaward, karate star Mohammad Mehdi Karami (22) has also been charged and sentenced to death, according to reports from human rights organizations. He is accused of helping to kill a member of the Basij militia. In an interview, his father tells how he found out about the verdict. His son told him on the phone, “My verdict is execution, Baba, don’t tell mommy.”
three students
According to Amnesty International, three minors could also soon be sentenced to death. Ten days after the memorial service for the slain freedom fighter Hadis Najafi, three classmates Amir Mohammed Jaafari (17), Arin Farzam Nia (17) and Amin Mehdi Shakarollahi (17) were arrested at their school. Their families were not informed.
radiologist and his wife
The Ghare-Hassanlou couple were also arrested after attending the memorial service. Radiologist Hamid Ghare-Hassanlou was sentenced to death in Karaj. His wife Farzaneh Ghare-Hassanlou is expected to receive 25 years in prison. According to aid organization Hawar Help, the two have an adult son and a minor daughter.
dark figure
Despite the published list, the number of undeclared suspects and presumed death row inmates appears to be high. Several names of human rights organizations are mentioned that do not appear on the “Etemad” list. Two of these men are the brothers Farhad and Farzad Tahzadeh.
Iranian footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani is also at risk of execution, according to a statement from the International Federation of Professional Footballers. He had previously campaigned for women’s rights and “fundamental freedom” in his home country. He is not on the “Etemad” list.