Iran sentences 8 to prison over paramilitary’s death during protests

 

Iran sentenced seven men and a woman to prison, according to state media, after their convictions for allegedly helping two men who had already been hanged for killing a paramilitary volunteer during the nationwide demonstrations in 2022. 

The sentences were handed down just days before the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's killing on September 16. Reportedly, police have begun collecting up activists and other people in an apparent effort to quell any criticism ahead of the one-year anniversary.

According to the Mizan news agency, the Revolutionary Court in the city of Karaj handed down the prison sentence to seven men and one woman. The agency reported that the country's Supreme Court upheld the penalties imposed after the defendants' attorneys filed an appeal.

According to rights groups and activists, the Revolutionary Court of Iran holds legal proceedings behind closed doors. The court has faced intense criticism from human rights groups, human rights activists and other countries for the severe sentences it has imposed on Western allies and members of the opposition.

According to reports, Dr Hamid Qarahasnalu received a 15-year sentence. His wife Farzaneh received a 5 year sentence. However, it is not yet clear what they did. 

Reportedly, the doctor treated people who got injured during the demonstrations. He faced harassment and arrest because of this reason. 

According to Iranian authorities, two men, identified as Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini, were convicted of killing Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij force, in November 2022. Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were executed in January 2023.

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The security crackdown on protests resulted in more than 500 fatalities and 22,000 arrests. The protests started in mid-September when Amini died at a hospital in Tehran after being arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the country's strict dress code requiring women to wear the hijab.