Protests in Iran – these are the last victims of the regime Protests in Iran – these are the last victims of the regime

“My punishment is execution, Baba, but don’t tell Maman” – Mohammad Mehdi Karami is said to have told his father about his death sentence in December. The Iranian regime executed him and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini on Saturday morning.

For nearly four months, people in Iran have been taking to the streets against the country’s regime. At least 517 protesters have died and more than 19,000 people have been imprisoned as a result of the regime’s brutal actions, according to current estimates by the US-based organization Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The two men were executed by the Iranian regime on Saturday. This brings the number of official executions related to the protests to four. Who were the two youngest victims?

Seyed Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Mehdi Karami both took part in a demonstration in Karaj, a large city west of Tehran, in November. According to the regime, a representative of the Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary unit of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, was killed during this demonstration. Hosseini and Karami were accused of being primarily responsible for the deaths. You deny that. The two men were arrested and in December they were convicted of “corruption on earth” – not murder. The Iranian regime executed her on camera on Saturday morning.

Seyed Mohammad Hosseini was a martial artist

According to the Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization, Seyed Mohammad Hosseini was 39 years old. Iranian journalist Ghoncheh Habibiazad, who currently works from London, reports that he lost both his parents a few years ago. Hosseini was a martial artist and taught underprivileged children his sport for free. The 39-year-old worked in a factory and was the sole breadwinner for his brother, who suffers from addiction, German-Iranian journalist Gilda Sahebi reports on Twitter. Hosseini himself suffered from anxiety, for which he took medication.

The lawyer allowed to meet Hosseini said the 39-year-old was innocent and had made illegal confessions under physical and psychological torture. Because he has no living close relatives to receive his body, the Iranian authorities are refusing to hand over his body for burial, according to journalist Ali Javanmardi.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami’s parents supported their son

According to IHR, Mohammed Mehdi Karami was 22 years old. He was a karate professional and fought for the Iranian national team. His parents have campaigned intensively for their son’s rights in recent weeks and have unsuccessfully tried to prevent his execution. In a published video, Karimi’s parents sit on the floor and desperately beg for mercy for their child. “I am his mother and I ask justice (…) to call back the execution of my son,” says the woman, visibly broken.

In a voice recording published on Twitter by the documentary network “1500 Tasvir”, Karami’s father explains: “My son said to me: Father, I swear on your hands, I did not throw the stone at the Basij.” He begged the judges to sentence the 22-year-old to 50 years in prison so he could be sure his son was alive and breathing. “They are killing my innocent child. What should I do? Who should I talk to?” he asks desperately. It is possible that the Iranian authorities will also arrest him for making public statements. “But I stood up for my child’s rights.”

Karami was not allowed to see his family before the execution

Activists had previously denounced the “unfair summary procedure”. It has “nothing in common with a meaningful trial,” according to Amnesty International. Karami’s father told Iranian media that a family lawyer was denied access to his son’s files. The lawyer wrote on Twitter that Karami had been denied a final meeting with the family and that he had given up eating and drinking in protest.

Karami was a Kurd, Ali Javanmardi, among others, reports on Twitter. Jina Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody in September, was also a Kurd. After her death, ongoing protests critical of the regime began. Kurds are an ethnic minority in Iran, among others. In recent months, the Iranian regime has been particularly brutal against the demonstrators in the Kurdish regions.

Death sentences had already been passed against rap musicians Mohsen Shekari and Majid Resa Rahnaward during the nationwide protests in December. The executions caused horror at home and abroad. The EU then decided on further sanctions against Iran, also because of serious human rights violations.