Iran: dozens facing execution, Hardline clerics support action

Iranian footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani could face imminent execution along with 43 other people, according to witness testimony and statements from inside the country.  He is accused of involvement in the killing of three security officers, including two volunteer Basij militia members, during protests in Isfahan on November 16, Iranian state media IRNA reported last week. Weeks later a witness, who is close to Nasr-Azadani, said authorities told them that the 26-year-old could be hanged at Shahid Alikhani square. Nasr-Azadani’s family was initially unaware of the reason for his arrest. Those close to him were also warned to “keep quiet” about his case if they wanted to see him released sooner. The court last week said it obtained video and sufficient documentation that prove he [Nasr-Azadani] is part of an armed group and that the footballer had confessed to his crimes, state media IRNA reported.

According to state media, the city’s chief justice, Asadullah Jafari, said Nasr-Azadani had been charged with Baghi - or rioting against authorities. Under Iran’s penal code, the sentence carries the death penalty. Witness testimonies and official documents, provide evidence that suggests a rushed judicial process in Iran. Among the more than 18 thousand stuck since the beginning of the protests in September also 40 lawyers and dozens of minors. Many of them, even before being transferred to death row, are subjected to prison torture and robberies sexual assault.

Daily Statistics on Iran Protests#Iran#IranProtests
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— HRANA English (@HRANA_English) December 23, 2022

As per reports, at least 33 university students have been issued punitive rulings since the beginning of the student protests in Iran, a university official said, adding that in some cases the students have been suspended from studying for 2.5 years. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has "harshly scolded" police chief Hossein Ashtari over his "incompetence" in quelling the popular uprising.