Iran is preparing to execute Bita Hemmati, a protester convicted for her role in recent anti-government demonstrations, according to the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). She is described as the first woman to face execution in connection with the riots that broke out earlier this year.
Iranian authorities accused Hemmati of using explosives and weapons, throwing objects during protests, participating in rallies and “undermining national security,” the NCRI said in a statement. No implementation date has been announced yet.
Several death sentences were handed down in the same case
Her husband Mohammadreza Majid Asl, 34, and two other men identified as Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninezhad were also reportedly sentenced to death in what rights groups describe as a fast-track trial. A fifth person, Amir Hemmati, was reportedly given nearly six years in prison on charges including “assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the regime”.
Property confiscation reported
The group, which was reportedly arrested in Tehran, had its assets seized, according to reports cited by NCRI and the US Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Protest movement and intervention
The unrest began with local strikes by merchants and traders in late December before quickly spreading to Tehran and other cities. Students and other groups later joined the protests, which grew into nationwide demonstrations against the government.
A high tax was reported in the midst of the crackdown
Human rights groups have previously reported that thousands of people have been killed or injured and tens of thousands detained during the crackdown. The The Iranian government consistently frames the protesters as acting in coordination with hostile foreign entities.
International call for intervention
NCRI urges the United Nations and international human rights bodies to urgently intervene and stop the executions, especially those of political prisoners and individuals detained during protests.
