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.



Iran Candidates Pezeshkian and Jalili Hold Final Rallies ahead of Presidential Runoff

In this photo made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, Iranian presidential candidate reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, left, and hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili attend a debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this photo made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, Iranian presidential candidate reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, left, and hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili attend a debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
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Iran Candidates Pezeshkian and Jalili Hold Final Rallies ahead of Presidential Runoff

In this photo made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, Iranian presidential candidate reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, left, and hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili attend a debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)
In this photo made available by Iranian state-run TV, IRIB, Iranian presidential candidate reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, left, and hard-line candidate Saeed Jalili attend a debate at the TV studio in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Morteza Fakhri Nezhad/IRIB via AP)

Iranian presidential hopefuls Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili held their final campaign rallies on Wednesday in preparation for Friday's snap election runoff. Around 61 million Iranians are eligible to vote on who will succeed the late president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May, said AFP.
In a bustling Tehran prayer hall, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili has rallied fervent supporters ahead of Friday's runoff presidential vote, while his reformist rival Masoud Pezeshkian stirred up a crowd in a nearby stadium.
The two candidates held their final campaign rallies late Wednesday, after leading the first-round vote in snap elections to succeed president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a May helicopter crash.
Chants of "All Iran says Jalili" echoed as thousands of supporters of the hardline former nuclear negotiator gathered at the Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran, buzzing with excitement.
Jalili promised "strength and progress" if elected, as posters of the late ultraconservative Raisi adorned the walls, bearing the slogan: "A world of opportunities, Iran leaps forward."
At an open-air stadium elsewhere in the capital, Pezeshkian made the case for "unity and cohesion", his supporters' chants invoking another former president – the reformist Mohammad Khatami who has endorsed their candidate.
"Long live Khatami, long live Pezeshkian!" called the spirited crowd, waving green flags adorned with the reformist candidate's "For Iran" slogan.
'Follow Raisi's path'
At the prayer hall, women draped in black chadors sat in a designated section, separated from the men. But all burst into rapturous applause as Jalili made his entrance.
"We are at a historical moment," he told the cheering crowd, urging voters to head to the polls on Friday.
Only 40 percent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters turned up at the polls last week – representing the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
To 40-year-old Maryam Naroui, Jalili is "the best option for the country's security".
A 39-year-old housewife who declined to give her name said he "is honest and will follow Raisi's path".
Jalili, known for his uncompromising anti-West stance, has staunchly opposed moves to restore a landmark 2015 deal with world powers which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief.
He has argued that the deal, which collapsed in 2018 when the United States withdrew from it, had violated all of Iran's "red lines" by allowing inspections of nuclear sites.
As he spoke, some supporters interjected with chants denouncing former president Hassan Rouhani, whose government had negotiated the accord.
If elected, Jalili told the rally, "we will improve the strength and progress of the country".
'Hope
Pezeshkian, who has called for "constructive relations" with Western governments to end Iran's "isolation", has won endorsements from the moderate Rouhani and from reformist figures including ex-president Khatami.
"We can manage our country with unity and cohesion," Pezeshkian told his cheering supporters.
"I will resolve internal disputes to the best of my ability," he said.
Pezeshkian, who has vowed to "fully" oppose police patrols enforcing the mandatory headscarf and called to ease long-standing internet restrictions, was speaking before a crowd of women in colorful hijabs, mingled with others, draped in traditional black chadors, alongside men.
The headscarf issue has become particularly contentious following mass protests following the 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Since the months-long nationwide unrest, women have increasingly flouted the code. But police in recent months have also toughened controls.
Sadegh Azari, a 45-year-old working in insurance, said: "I believe if Pezeshkian wins... the people will have hope for the future."