StopExecutionsinIran

"#StopExecutionsInIran" (Persian: اعدام نکنید) is a hashtag originated on July 14, 2020 in response to the news of the order of executions for three young men by the names of Amir Hossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi, and Saeed Tamjidi; who were among the protesters in the 2019–2020 Iranian protests. The hashtag (in its original Persian form of "اعدام_نکنید") was conceived after the news of their order of execution was confirmed, and managed to be on top of the trending page on Twitter for 2 hours,[1][2] being the first trending hashtag in Germany, second in Canada and even reaching ninth in England. Though there were interruptions of the Iran's bandwidth during the hashtag's lifespan, it managed to pass 8 million mentions by the dawn of July 15, 2020.[3][4] It is also worth noting that since Twitter is blocked by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology of Iran, almost all of the twitter users from Iran need to use a VPN; thus the location of the tweets that are sent from Iran are disguised as the destination location of their chosen VPN service. The hashtag resurged in popularity after the death of wrestler Navid Afkari, who was believed to have been pressured to confess to murder.[5]

History

Amir Hossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi were among protesters in Iran, who in November 2019, were protesting the regime's choices and chose the neighborhoods around the Sattar Khan Street in Tehran. According to HRANA, Amir Hossein Moradi was identified and arrested three days after the protests, by using CCTV footage of the protests;[6] although his lawyer, Babak Paknia, has stated that his client was arrested due to a public struggle over a cellphone and after discovering footage regarding the protests on his phone, was handed over to the authorities.[7] Mohammad Rajabi, Saeed Tamjidi and a third individual by the name of "Shima R." escaped to Turkey the day after Amir Hossein Majidi's arrest, and got arrested by the Turkish Police in Antalya. Even though they were introduced to UN representatives who they informed of the threats to their lives if they were returned to Iran, the Turkish government handed them over to Iranian authorities.[6] The spokesperson for the Judicial system of Iran, Gholam-Hossein Esmaeli, claimed that two out of these three were arrested not for taking part in the 2019–2020 Iranian protests, but because they were involved in an armed robbery, and also claimed that some footage of them looting and destroying public buildings during the protests were found on their phones.[8] It is imperative to mention that according to HRANA, people close to the accused have stated that there were confessions in regards to looting obtained from the accused while they were under torture during the investigation.[6]

A court in February 2020 sentenced these men to an execution under the claim of "being an accomplice to destruction of public property in order to defy the Islamic Republic regime".[9] In addition to execution, Amir Hossein Moradi had also been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and 74 lashings for an accusation of "armed robbery" and a year in prison for "attempting to flee the country". Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi both were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and 74 lashings due to their involvement in an "armed robbery" and a year in prison for "attempting to flee the country". HRANA claims that during the trial of Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi, their public defender did not properly defend them, and to make matters worse showed remorse for their actions and actively condemned them verbally throughout the trial. Shima Eskandari, another person involved in the case, has been sentenced to imprisonment, and the case for "Shima R." is still underway.[6]

The spokesperson for the Judicial system of Iran has claimed that these men had sent the videos of their public looting to foreign media "to boast", and thus "have given the proper evidence for their condemnation by their own hands".[8]

On July 14, 2020, news of the confirmation of their execution verdict was published,[8] and it raised a wave of unrest in social media.[2]

Emadeddin Baghi, on his personal Twitter account, stated that:

As someone who has been writing against the death penalty for 30 years and has been previously convicted by the Judicial system of Iran for this reason, while regretting the recent executions and being pleased with the suspension of another person's execution sentence in Arak, I am aware of 3 convicts of 2019–2020 Iranian protests and the Judicial System has been against it from the start. As the spokesperson said: Article 477 will change the result.[10]

Babak Paknia, the attorney to Amir Hossein Moradi, has stated that:

In our opinion the punishment does not fit the crime. Because it is clearly stated in the transcripts that the accused, in court, have denied the previous statements taken from them under investigation. Based on that one of the judges have not approved the execution verdict and has ordered for more investigation; thus we asked for the continuation of investigation and a pardon.[9]

On the matter of the three accused not having permission to use their own appointed lawyers, he has stated that:

The important thing to note is that neither my name or the two other appointed attorneys have not been mentioned in the lawsuit, yet the names of the public defenders are mentioned instead of us. It's important because the public defenders were excused by Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi. They have composed a letter to excuse these public defenders and appoint Hossein Taj and Mostafa Nili as their attorneys. Despite the fact that their request for these lawyers were denied, the original public defenders were still excused; yet the lawsuit from the Judicial System has been issued with their names on it.[9]

Hossein Taj, attorney to Mohammad Rajabi, in a letter to the spokesperson of Judicial system of Iran has claimed that the accused were illegally denied their right to an attorney. He also criticized the spokesperson's declaration of the verdict before the official confirmation and their claim on the relations between the accused and foreign groups, even though the families of the accused have denied that time after time. He also mentions the accused's claim of unlawful methods to extract confessions out of them. He has also requested that the appointed attorneys receive rights to view the contents of their clients' case files.[11]

Bandwidth interruption

During the tweetstorm to notify the masses and foreign press agencies of the atrocities, the Iranian Bandwidth were witnessing interruptions.[12] According to NetBlocks, the Iranian bandwidth around 9 p.m. (local time) on the night of July 14, 2020 was either terminated in many areas or was witnessing high tribulations and limited speed on many others, possibly due to orders given to Iranian internet service providers.[13]

It is also important to note that the Iranian government have been known to shut down the internet fully when there's a thread of an uprising, as done in 2019. So it is reasonable to be aware and concerned that there might be another shut down on the way.[14]

Outcomes

Announcement (and the Consequential Denying) of Retrial and Stopping the Execution

On July 15, 2020, Fars News Agency ran a story that claimed Ebrahim Raisi, head of Judicial system of Iran, has issued a retrial based on the article 477 of criminal procedure.[15] Though later Mahdi Keshtdar, CEO of Mizan Online News Agency (a subsidiary of Judicial system of Iran), stated that "the news that one of the other news agencies has published in regards to Ebrahim Raisi's order to retrial the three accused from 2019–2020 Iranian protests are false".[16] Moments later, Fars News Agency also denied the story and ran an amendment that according to the criminal procedure, the chance for a retrial is on the shoulder of the attorneys.[15]

Appointed Attorney's Right to Access their Clients' Case Files

Babak Paknia, attorney to Amir Hossein Moradi, has stated on July 15, 2020 that the appointed attorneys to the three accused have been given the right to view their clients' case files. He also mentioned that he would be issuing a request for article 477.[17] He also stated that there were a lot of discrepancies in the procedure and in the files, and the appointed attorneys for the accused will try to stop the verdict. He also has mentioned that during the trial of the three accused, there were no lawyers present. According to criminal procedure, in cases that lead to life imprisonment or execution, there's a need for attorney in the early investigation and trials. He added that the only one of the accused that had an attorney present was Amir Hossein Moradi (which he himself represented), and even he wasn't given the necessary clearance to view the case files. He has stated that this fault alone is the necessary grounds for the request of a retrial on the execution verdict.[18]

Unrest in Behbahan

On the eve of July 16, 2020, a protest gathering was formed in the city of Behbahan in Khuzestan Province. According to social media account, the execution verdicts for the protesters of 2019–2020 Iranian protests and economical hardships brought by government's lack of proper management were the key points of this protest. According to NetBlocks, Khuzestan's bandwidth was strictly limited in the night of July 15, 2020. According to Deutsche Welle, the unrest also spread to Shiraz, Isfahan, Rasht, Mashhad, Tabriz and Urmia.[19]

Temporarily stopping the verdict

On July 19, 2020, according to the attorneys to the accused their request for a retrial and opening the investigation once more, based on article 477 of criminal procedure, have been approved and the verdict has been stopped at the moment for the investigation and the retrial to conclude.[20][21]

Reactions

Iranian Government

On July 16, 2020, Iran International's website ran a story on the rise of a strict security atmosphere in Tehran and other cities of Iran. In the news story they claimed that "captured footage on social media and received by Iran International shows that on July 16, 2020, there were added security on standby in Valiasr Street and around Teatr-e Shahr Metro Station".[22]

Threatening text messages

A notable sum of Twitter users claimed that they have received text messages from Judicial system of Iran, accusing them of "disrupting the national security" and demanding that they sign up on the official website of the Judicial System in order to process their lawsuits, or await the harshest of punishments. Though Mohammad Moased, Iranian Journalist, has said in a tweet that:

This text message who is claimed to be sent to users that support #StopExecutionsInIran is fake. Do not reply to it, do not register on any site and no one has the right and can not deprive you of your human right to express your opinion.

The Judicial system of Iran or any other government entity have not yet respond to the controversy of the text messages.[23]

More arrests

According to Deutsche Welle, on July 17, 2020, there were more security measures and more riot police present all around the country, in cities such as Tehran, Tabriz, Rasht, Shiraz and many more; and there has also been reports of arresting people on the grounds of "causing unrest". In Mashhad, Imam Reza Army has stated that they have identified and apprehended a number of "key players of defiant groups" that were "in addition to working with anti-Islamic Republic foreign channels, were calling for people to gather in the streets and protest".[19]

Also according to Iranian Students News Agency, quoting from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Fars Province, a group of "misfits in cahoots with separatists that were trying to disrupt the province" have been arrested.[24]

International support

There has been an abundance of support from local and international sources in defending the hashtag and asking for a retrial of the accused and stopping their executions; with many showing concerns that the idea of public execution and capital punishment in Iran needs revision and maybe a ban.[25][26]

Many organisation, like Amnesty International and Writer's Guild of Iran, have issued statements and petitions to stop the execution at once,[27] and Writer's Guild have called the recent executions and orders of executions in Iran "not a matter of justice, but a matter of politics".[28]

United Nations

On July 16, 2020, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement, in which they expressed their support of the hashtag and demanded that Ebrahim Raisi, the head of Judicial system of Iran, stop the executions of the three accused. In addition to stopping the executions, they demanded a third party investigation into the accusations against them. They also raised concerns about their claims of the use of torture to gather information from the accused; and asked for investigation into those claims, and trial or punishment for those responsible if the investigation proved the claims.[29]

See also

References
  1. "#اعدام_نکنید: ایرانیان صدای خود را با داغ‌کردن یک هشتگ، جهانی کردند". iranhr.net (in Persian). Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. ""#اعدام‌ نکنید"؛ واکنش گسترده به حکم اعدام معترضان آبان". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  3. "اعتراض میلیونی به حکم اعدام سه معترض آبان با هشتگ "اعدام نکنید"؛ اختلال در اینترنت". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  4. "هشتگ #اعدام_نکنید در صدر ترند‌های جهانی توئیتر". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  5. Frenkel, Sheera (January 2, 2018). "Iranian Authorities Block Access to Social Media Tools". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. "خبرگزاری هرانا | اعتراضات سراسری آبان؛ دیوان عالی کشور احکام اعدام سه زندانی سیاسی را تایید کرد - خبرگزاری هرانا". Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  7. "من وكيل اميرحسين مرادي‌ام". روزنامه اعتماد. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  8. "تایید حکم اعدام ۳ اغتشاشگر حوادث آبان ۹۸ | ۲ نفرشان در حال دزدی مسلحانه دستگیر شدند | محتوای موبایل آنها چه بود؟". همشهری آنلاین (in Persian). July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  9. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "وکلای سه معترض آبان: حکم اعدام آنها تایید شد | DW | July 10, 2020". DW.COM (in Persian). Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  10. "twitter.com/emadeddinbaghi/status/1283344440292184075". Twitter. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  11. "خبرگزاری هرانا | نامه حسین تاج، از وکلای سه معترض محکوم به اعدام آبان، خطاب به سخنگوی قوه قضاییه - خبرگزاری هرانا". Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  12. "اختلال شدید در اینترنت ایران همزمان با ترندشدن هشتگ "اعدام نکنید" در توئیتر | صدای آمریکا فارسی". ir.voanews.com (in Persian). Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  13. "اختلال در اینترنت ایران در پی جهانی شدن طوفان توییتری #اعدام_نکنید". BBC News فارسی (in Persian). July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  14. "twitter.com/netblocks/status/1283861891455033355". Twitter. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  15. "خبرگزاری فارس - تصحیح خبر| قوه قضائیه: اعاده دادرسی سارقان مسلح منوط به درخواست وکیل است". خبرگزاری فارس. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  16. "خبرگزاری فارس از توقف حکم اعدام سه معترض آبان ۹۸ خبر داد؛ "میزان" تکذیب کرد". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  17. "twitter.com/drpaknia/status/1283398770215059457". Twitter. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  18. ""ارائه درخواست" اعمال ماده ۴۷۷ برای توقف حکم اعدام سه معترض آبان". رادیو فردا (in Persian). Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  19. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "اعتراضات در ایران؛ محدودیت اینترنت، دستگیری معترضین | DW | July 17, 2020". DW.COM (in Persian). Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  20. "خبرگزاری فارس - پذیرش درخواست بررسی مجدد پرونده ۳ اعدامی از سوی دیوان عالی کشور". خبرگزاری فارس. July 19, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  21. "حکم اعدام سه متهم اعتراضات آبان ماه 'متوقف شد'". BBC News فارسی (in Persian). Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  22. "نگرانی حکومت از وقوع اعتراض‌های تازه؛ جو امنیتی در برخی شهرهای ایران". ایران اینترنشنال (in Persian). July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  23. "ارسال پیام تهدیدآمیز "قضایی" به کاربران توییتر". ایران اینترنشنال (in Persian). July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  24. "سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی: اعضای یک تیم خرابکار وابسته به منافقین دستگیر شدند". ایسنا (in Persian). July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  25. "خبرگزاری هرانا | بیانیه ۱۱۲ فعال سیاسی، مدنی و فرهنگی جهت جلوگیری از اعدام سه معترض آبان - خبرگزاری هرانا". Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  26. "کارزار اینترنتی "اعدام نکنید" در اعتراض به حکم سه معترض آبان داغ شد". euronews (in Persian). July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  27. "Take action to stop the execution of protesters in Iran". www.amnesty.org. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  28. "کانون نویسندگان ایران: صدور حکم‌های اعدام بر خشم مردم افزوده است". ایران اینترنشنال (in Persian). July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  29. "OHCHR | UN experts demand Iran quash death sentences against protesters". www.ohchr.org. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
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