The man was hanged in the morning. Photo NGO Iran Human Rights
For the first time in two years, the Iranian regime publicly executed this Saturday morning to a prisoner who was convicted of murder in January 2022.
This is Iman SabZikar, who was hanging from a crane minutes before dawn, after being convicted of the murder of a police officer in February of this year in the city of Shiraz.
The violent event, which occurs amid concern over the increase in repression in the Islamic Republic, was denounced by the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), who called the practice “medieval”.
They also informed local media that the man’s trial had previously been reported when the Supreme Court of Justice confirmed its completion earlier this month.
“The resumption of this brutal punishment in public is intended to frighten and intimidate people into not protesting,” said IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.
Shocking images of the moment in which the man was strangled in the middle of the street have spread from the organization: he can be seen dressed in a striped uniform – which characterizes those in prison – and hung with a thick rope from the neck from a crane.
“We can increase the cost of implementing these medieval practices if people protest more against the death penalty – especially public executions – and the international community takes a firm stand,” the NGO added.
This was the first public execution since 2020. On June 11 of that year, they performed the same practice with another person serving a prison sentence.
However, executions are carried out quite frequently in Iran, although they usually take place behind closed doors inside prisons.
According to activists, they are used as a deterrent, especially when the crime involves the murder of a member of the security forces, as happened in this case.
According to IHR, four other men were also sentenced to death for the murder of police officers and are currently at risk of execution.
For this reason, in recent weeks, some activists have expressed concern about the growing repression in the country that is going through a serious economic crisis.
Based on the statistics revealed, the number of executions doubled in the first half of this year, compared to 2021.
DB
Source: Clarin
