Reports: Iran Secretly Executes Man Over 2022 Anti-Government Protests

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Facts

  • Iran reportedly secretly executed a man convicted of killing a member of Iran's security forces during mass protests that spread across the country last year, media sources and the Norway-based human rights organization Hengaw said. There has been no confirmation from the Iranian judiciary as of yet.1
  • Milad Zohrevand, a resident of the Iranian city of Malayar, was put to death at dawn on Thursday in the central prison of the western city of Hamadan, the human rights group said. According to the organization, Zohrevand was not informed of his impending execution and was denied a final meeting with his family.2
  • In a controversial verdict, the 21-year-old was found guilty of the murder of Ali Nazari, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence officer, reportedly killed during nationwide protests in Oct. 2022. The death sentence was upheld by Iran's Supreme Court last week.3
  • Zohrevand was allegedly part of a group of five masked men who fatally shot the IRGC agent during student protests at the Malayer Faculty of Medical Sciences. He was reportedly denied a lawyer and other basic rights during his detention and trial, while his family had been allegedly pressured by the IRGC not to comment publicly on his case.4
  • If confirmed, Zohrevand's death marks Iran's eighth execution in connection with last year's protests in which hundreds — including dozens of security forces — were killed. The protests erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman, in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict women's dress code.5
  • In early November, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that Iran was carrying out executions 'at an alarming rate.' In a report to the UN General Assembly, he noted that at least 419 people had been executed in the first seven months of 2023 — an increase of 30% compared to the same period last year.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Hengaw, 3Iran Wire, 4Iran International, 5France 24 and 6Associated Press.

Narratives

  • Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by PressTV. The Western media are reporting extensively on the execution to feed their narrative of the cruel 'Iranian regime.' At the same time, they and their 'human rights organizations' prefer to ignore the fact that many innocent Iranians and security forces were brutally killed during the violent riots in 2022. The murderous attacks and riots were carefully planned and directed from abroad, and people were manipulated for the geopolitical goals of foreign powers. The West doesn't care about the lives and concerns of Iranians but about regime change through collapse from within.
  • Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by Iran Focus. The execution is the latest evidence of the Iranian regime's flagrant disregard for humanity, as it attempts to intimidate its own citizens. Not only was Zohrevand denied a fair trial, but the entire case was based on fabricated allegations. By putting yet another young man to death, Iran's mullahs want to signal that they will continue to crack down on any opposition to their medieval system of oppression. Ultimately, however, the recent surge in Iran's death sentences is an admission of the regime's weakness and its fear of its own people, who are fighting for their freedom.

Predictions