Iran's Supreme Court Orders Retrial of Protester on Death Row

An Iranian woman during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. (AP)
An Iranian woman during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. (AP)
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Iran's Supreme Court Orders Retrial of Protester on Death Row

An Iranian woman during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. (AP)
An Iranian woman during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. (AP)

The Iranian Supreme Court ordered a retrial of a protester sentenced to death in early November, according to the judiciary's website, Mizan Online.

According to Agence France-Presse, Mahan Sedarat was among 11 people sentenced to death for events related to the protests that have been rocking the country for three months.

The demonstrations, described by the authorities as "riots," erupted over the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in prison on Sept. 16 after she was arrested for violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

The death penalty was imposed on two 23-year-olds convicted of killing or wounding members of the security forces or paramilitary forces.

Sedarat was convicted of "moharebegh," or enmity against God, on November 3 after he drew a knife, inciting fear and insecurity around him, according to the state news agency, IRNA.

IRNA added that he denied the knife charge but admitted to setting a motorcycle on fire.

The execution was suspended last week, and the Mizan website reported Wednesday that based on new evidence in the case, the defendant's request for a new trial was considered per the law and the case for a new trial. No further details were provided.

Mizan Online also said the death sentence of Hamid Ghare-Hasanlou was not final, reporting that "no definitive verdict has been issued yet, and the case is being investigated."

The reformist Etimad newspaper reported Wednesday that the death sentence against Ghare-Hasanlou has been canceled.

Amnesty International, which also reported that he was sentenced to death, revealed that Ghare-Hasanlou and his wife were heading to the funeral of a demonstrator when they were "caught up in chaos" of a fatal attack that claimed the life of a Basij member.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday that Tehran should immediately halt its military support for Russia and repression of the demonstrators at home, reflecting diplomatic tensions with efforts to revive a nuclear deal at a standstill.

Amirabdollahian denounced Western support for the protests and the "illegal" sanctions against his country.

The EU and United States have imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials over Iran's crackdown on the unrest ignited by the death of Amini.

The Iranian protests mark one of the boldest challenges to the ruling theocracy since the 1979 revolution. Iran accuses Western powers of fomenting the unrest, which security forces have met with deadly violence.

The Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that 502 protesters and 62 members of the security forces have been killed so far.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed three independent Fact-Finding Mission members on the violent crackdown on protesters.

The resolution stated that the three women who will head the independent investigation into alleged human rights violations are: Shaheen Sardar Ali from Pakistan, Viviana Krsticevic from Argentina and Sara Hossain from Bangladesh.

The mission was requested to "establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations and collect, consolidate and analyze evidence of such violations and preserve evidence, including in view of cooperation in any legal proceedings."

In November, the Human Rights Council launched an investigation into acts of violence committed by Iranian security forces.



Congo M23 Rebels Say They Will Withdraw from Seized Town to Support Peace Push

 Abandoned military helmets that belonged to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) are seen at Goma airport after the town was seized by the M23 rebels, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)
Abandoned military helmets that belonged to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) are seen at Goma airport after the town was seized by the M23 rebels, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)
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Congo M23 Rebels Say They Will Withdraw from Seized Town to Support Peace Push

 Abandoned military helmets that belonged to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) are seen at Goma airport after the town was seized by the M23 rebels, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)
Abandoned military helmets that belonged to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) are seen at Goma airport after the town was seized by the M23 rebels, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19, 2025. (Reuters)

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels staging an offensive in east Congo said on Saturday they would withdraw forces from the seized town of Walikale in support of peace efforts, having previously said they were leaving troops there as they pushed on to the capital.

The government said it hoped the move would be translated into concrete action, after M23 this week pulled out of planned talks with Congolese authorities at the last minute due to EU sanctions on some of its leaders and Rwandan officials.

It would have been their first direct engagement with Congo's government after President Felix Tshisekedi reversed his longstanding refusal to speak to the rebels.

The Congo River Alliance, which includes M23, said in a statement on Saturday that it had "decided to reposition its forces" from Walikale and surrounding areas that M23 took control of this week.

This decision was in line with a ceasefire declared in February and in support of peace initiatives, it said in a statement that was greeted with skepticism by army officers.

A senior member of the alliance who did not wish to be named said repositioning meant withdrawing to "give peace a chance". The source declined to say where M23 rebels would withdraw to.

"We are asking for Walikale and surroundings to remain demilitarized," the source said. "If the FARDC (Congo's army) and their allies come back, this means they want to relaunch hostilities."

Foreign Affairs Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner told reporters: "We are going to see whether M23 will withdraw from Walikale and whether M23 will give priority to dialogue and peace ... So we hope that this will be translated into concrete action."

PEACE EFFORTS

Congo's army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An army officer said he was skeptical about the announced withdrawal. Another officer said M23 was advancing towards Mubi, another town in the area, after the army and pro-government militia bombed Walikale's airport and cut off some of M23's road access.

"They now have a provision problem," said the second officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They will not withdraw. They will move in front of (Walikale) and behind it."

A M23 officer told Walikale residents on Thursday they were leaving a small group of soldiers there to provide security, while other soldiers "continue all the way to Kinshasa".

Walikale is the furthest west the rebels have reached in an unprecedented advance that has already overrun eastern Congo's two largest cities since January.

Its capture put the rebels within 400 km (250 miles) of Kisangani, the country's fourth-biggest city with a bustling port at the Congo River's farthest navigable point upstream of the capital Kinshasa, some 1,500 km (930 miles) away.

There have been several attempts to resolve the spiraling conflict, rooted in the fallout from Rwanda's 1994 genocide and competition for mineral riches, including several ceasefires that were violated and regional summits to open up dialogue.

Congo, the United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda has been providing arms and troops to the ethnic Tutsi-led M23. Rwanda denies this, saying its military has been acting in self-defense against Congo's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of the genocide.

The M23 alliance leader Corneille Naanga on Friday dismissed a joint call for an immediate ceasefire by Congo and Rwanda and reiterated demands for direct talks with Kinshasa, saying it was the only way to resolve the conflict.