by Rahnavard was convicted of fatally stabbing two members of the Iranian security forces with a knife on Nov. 17, according to Mizan, the judiciary’s official news site. The site posted a photo of men in black balaclavas at the execution site.
Rahnavard is the second protester to be executed in the past week and the first to see his body publicly displayed, as the government tries to put down a nationwide uprising that challenges his rule. Mohsen Shekari, accused of injuring a member of the security forces, was executed on Thursday.
Protests that began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in mid-September in the custody of the “morality police” have grown into a far-reaching movement uniting opponents of clerical rule across class and ethnic lines.
Nearly 500 civilians were killed and about 18,000 arrested during the unrest, according to estimates by activist news agency HRANA, but restrictions on reporting make it difficult to verify exact numbers. At least 16 people were sentenced to death for their role in the protests, according to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said on Monday that the European Union would approve a new round of sanctions against Iran.
“Iran must understand that the European Union will strongly condemn and take any possible action to support Iranian women, support peaceful protesters and, of course, reject the death penalty,” Borrell said.
A video from Rahnavard’s grave shows a handful of women weeping, with one saying “God curse you” to her executioners.
Rahnavard’s family was not notified of his pending execution, according to 1500 Tasvir, an anti-government group that monitors demonstrations. Her mother recently visited him in prison and “she walked away smiling and hoping her son would be released soon,” the group wrote in an online post.
Political prisoners like Rahnavard are usually tried in Revolutionary Courts, a parallel legal system that opposes defendants. During his trial, Rahnavard confessed to the stabbings and the prosecution showed video of the alleged incident.
But such trials often rely on fabricated evidence, and defendants are often tortured or forced to make incriminating confessions and statements, as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have repeatedly documented.
“The public execution of a young protester 23 days after his arrest is another serious crime committed by the leaders of the Islamic Republic and a significant escalation in the level of violence against protesters,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the Iran Human Rights. “Majidreza Rahnavard was sentenced to death on the basis of coerced confessions, after a grossly unfair trial and a show trial.”
