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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iran connected Wednesday executed a antheral convicted successful the fatal shootings of 7 radical during a 2022 protestation implicit the decease of Mahsa Amini, though quality rights activists accidental helium was tortured into confessing to killings apt carried retired by information services.
The hanging of Abbas Kourkouri, besides known arsenic Mojahed Kourkouri, marks the archetypal execution successful astir a twelvemonth for idiosyncratic arrested successful the protests surrounding the decease of Amini, who had been detained by constabulary allegedly implicit not wearing her hijab, oregon headscarf, to their liking. Her decease sparked months of demonstrations. Even today, immoderate women garbage to deterioration their headscarves successful public, openly defying a hijab instrumentality instituted by the country’s theocracy.
It's unclear wherefore authorities chose present to execute Kourkouri, 42, though tensions person been rising regionally implicit Iran's rapidly advancing atomic program, and the effect of talks with the United States remains uncertain. Iran is one of the world's apical executioners and has been cracking down successful different ways connected nine successful the clip since the Amini demonstrations.
Kourkouri “was sentenced to decease without a just proceedings and without entree to a lawyer of his choice,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam of the Oslo-based radical Iran Human Rights, which tallied an mean of 1 execution successful the Islamic Republic each six hours implicit the past 8 months.
Iran's state-run IRNA quality bureau reported astatine the clip that connected Nov. 16, 2022 2 gunmen connected motorcycles changeable astatine protesters and information unit gathered astatine the cardinal marketplace successful the southwestern metropolis of Izeh successful the country's restive, oil-rich Khuzestan province.
The battle killed 7 people, including a 9-year-old boy, and wounded 3 constabulary officers and 2 members of the Basij, the all-volunteer limb of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The decease of the boy, named Kian Pirfalak, drew choler from Iranians, peculiarly aft his household reportedly said it was information forces — not different gunmen — who opened fire.
Kourkouri was accused of being 1 of the gunmen.
He was charged with a spate of offenses, including “moharebeh” – an Islamic word meaning waging a conflict against God. Authorities arrested him successful December 2022 aft reportedly shooting him successful the leg. Activists accidental helium was denied aesculapian attraction beyond the bullet's removal.
State media described Kourkouri arsenic a cause trader and “instigator” with a past of extremist beliefs. But rights advocates accidental helium isn’t the convulsive idiosyncratic authorities person made him retired to beryllium and was himself an guiltless protester.
“He was arrested during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests, and the Islamic Republic authorities attempted to blasted him" for the attack, Amiry-Moghaddam said. He added that the slain boy’s parents and uncle believed Iranian information forces were responsible.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which besides monitors Iran, likewise dismissed the Iranian government's claims.
“While authorities proceed to picture the events of Nov. 16 successful Izeh arsenic a ‘terrorist attack,’ eyewitnesses and the families of victims person presented accounts that contradict the government’s narrative,” it said Wednesday. The radical quoted Kian’s parent arsenic saying, “On our mode home, officers opened occurrence connected our car.”
State media earlier broadcast videos of Kourkouri taking blasted for the attack. But Amnesty International has said that authorities subjected him to solitary confinement and coerced his confessions, and that helium wasn't astatine the country astatine the clip of the killings.
One videotaped confession that had been aired connected authorities TV showed Kourkouri successful furniture with his limb visibly bandaged and bloody, the rights radical said. The footage resembled that of galore different suspected coerced confessions broadcast successful Iran.
Kourkouri's decease brings the tally of executions related to unit astatine the Amini protests up to 11. The past specified execution came 10 months ago, aft Reza Resaei, 34, was sentenced to decease implicit the sidesplitting of a information officer. Rights groups besides said his confession was forced.
The United Nations-established Independent International Fact-Finding Mission connected the Islamic Republic of Iran said Wednesday that proceedings against Kourkouri had been “marred by gross quality rights violations.” It called connected Iran to halt executions, including those against women's rights activists.
On the streets of Iranian cities, it’s becoming progressively communal to spot a pistillate walk by without a mandatory hijab, arsenic the 3rd day of the decease of Mahsa Amini and the wide protests it sparked approaches this fall.
The authorities has targeted backstage businesses wherever women are seen without their headscarves. Surveillance cameras hunt for women uncovered successful vehicles to good and impound their cars, and authorities person gone arsenic acold arsenic to usage aerial drones to show women.
The country’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian campaigned connected a committedness to curb the morality police's harassment of women. But the country’s eventual authorization rests with its 86-year-old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei has successful the past said “unveiling is some religiously forbidden and politically forbidden.”
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