Deadly Repression of the Ongoing Popular Uprising in Iran

The horrifying execution of young protesters, Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard following expedited and grossly unfair sham trials, shows how authorities are acting on public threats to expedite capital proceedings and carry out executions in an attempt to instill fear in the public. As outlined further in the briefing, Amnesty International fears that many others in Iran could face the death penalty in relation to the popular uprising, given the thousands of people arrested and indicted. 

Amnesty International is calling on the UK government to help end the crisis of systemic impunity, and show support for women and girls in Iran by:

• Calling on Iranian authorities to (i) immediately quash all death sentences against protesters, (ii) ensure that any of those charged with a recognizable criminal offence is tried in proceedings meeting international fair trial standards without recourse to the death penalty, (iii) that the principles of juvenile justice are observed for child defendants. It should be recognised that Iranian authorities are resorting to the use of the death penalty against those detained for exercising their rights of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly as a tool of political repression and revenge against those standing up for human rights in Iran