Iran considers review of death sentences after public outcry

The chief of Iran’s judiciary said on Wednesday that it would consider reviewing the execution sentences given to three men, after a social media campaign rallies against the court decision.

Celebrities joined the campaign using the hashtag #do_not_execute in Persian, which was shared on social media platforms over five million times on Tuesday, to call for the Supreme Court to reverse its conviction against the men for their involvement in anti-government protests.

The arrests of Amirhossein Moradi, 25, Mohammad Rajabi, 25, and Saeed Tamjidi, 27, were made on charges of “enmity against God” for their alleged involvement in arson and vandalism during the wave of demonstrations which took over the streets of Iran after the November 2019 surge in fuel prices.

Their lawyers added that they were also given the first opportunity to read over the court papers and evidence against their clients in their 20s.

Angry posts on social media argued Iran’s use of executions was unjust, as the country carries out the most state-led executions in the world after China.

Amnesty International said the men had gone through “grossly unfair trials” and were "the latest victims of Iran's deeply flawed criminal justice system, which systematically relies on fabricated evidence".

"Their allegations of torture and other ill-treatment were ignored and 'confessions' extracted from Amirhossein Moradi without a lawyer present, reportedly through beatings, electric shocks and being hung upside down, were relied upon to convict them of 'enmity against God' through acts of arson and vandalism," the statement read.

Footballer Masoud Shojaei joined the campaign by pleading the leaders of Iran, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to be “merciful” and answer the people’s requests.

"Swearing on the prophet of kindness and compassion, please stop the executions of these three young people," actor Shahaab Hosseini posted.

"[When] we do not recognise the right to peaceful and legal protest, the ground for violent protest is provided," ex-member of parliament, Mahmud Sadeghi, tweeted.

Control of the internet is commonplace when Iranian authorities witness domestic political unrest and was seen during the week-long internet shutdown which enforced during the 2019 protests.

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