Iran's Execution of Protester Will Only Strengthen Uprising, Says Activist

Iranian democracy activists have told Newsweek that the execution of a man linked to protests in the Islamic Republic will fuel the agitation against the ruling regime even more, adding that the international community should also act against Tehran.

Mohsen Shekari was hanged on Thursday morning following his death sentence on October 23, according to the news agency Mizan Online. The 23-year-old was reportedly convicted of "waging war against God" for stabbing a member of the Basij paramilitary force during a protest in Tehran on September 25. It was the first execution connected to the protests publicly reported by state media.

A Revolutionary Court was told Shekari had used a machete to attack a member of the Basij force, which is linked to the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) often deployed to quell protests.

Omid Memarian, senior Iran analyst at the organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), said that the case shows how Iran "executes people in a shorter time than people in other countries have to pay a parking ticket."

"These political executions and use of the justice system as a tool for political purposes, will fuel the protest and hatred against the government more," he told Newsweek.

He said that the international community "should not only condemn such executions but use all the tools available in their disposal to stop it. They should tell Iran that such rushed decisions and taking lives are not tolerated."

Sarah, a 30-year-old teacher from Karaj in Alborz Province, who did not give her full name, told Newsweek that the execution of Shekari was "very painful."

She was among members of the resistance units of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), a political-militant organization seeking to overthrow the government.

"Europe and the U.S. must end their silence. They should do something so that in the history of Iran's resistance, their name will not be a reminder of appeasement and complicity in killing people," she said.

Artin, a 35-year-old from Tehran, who also only gave his first name, told Newsweek that the execution would "only multiply the people's determination to overthrow them and increase our unity and power to realize the regime's overthrow."

The execution came one day after thousands of students protested in universities throughout the country. Also known as Student Day, December 7 has long been linked with public calls for democracy.

Diana, a 21-year-old university student from Tehran, said Basiji forces had tried to disrupt Wednesday's rallies at Amirkabir University and Tehran University, only to be met with chants.

Universities and students have played a key role in the latest protests in Iran over the last three months, with actions ranging from demonstrations to classroom boycotts.

"We all know that students, universities, and freedom-seekers of a country are the most important part of a revolution," she told Newsweek. "We will remain at the front line of this uprising to take back our freedom."

Students have reported clashes with the Basij forces, university security officers and plain-clothed agents.

Freshteh, a 19-year-old student from Tehran, said that she and her fellow protesters would use vinegar or cigarette smoke to try to neutralize the tear gas fired by security forces She also described the solidarity of many citizens who would open their doors and allow protesters to take cover.

Amnesty International said that Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 21 people in connection with the protests that have swept the country. They were sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was accused of not wearing her hijab properly.

Demands for greater freedoms for women have transformed into agitation against the ruling regime in protests that have spread to 160 cities in all 31 of the country's provinces.

Iran's leadership, including hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, has portrayed them as "riots" which are driven by Iran's foreign enemies. At least 475 protesters have been killed and 18,240 have been detained, according to the Human Rights Activists' News Agency (HRANA).

Other groups have said that the death toll and the number of arrests are much higher amid widespread reports of brutality from the security forces and accounts of sexual assault against women who were detained.

The Guardian reported on Thursday that Iranian security forces are targeting women at the protests with shotgun fire to their faces, breasts and genitals, according to interviews with medics. Security forces are firing so-called "birdshot" pellets at close range, with one medic telling the paper they were targeting women differently to men.

Newsweek has contacted the Iranian foreign ministry for comment.