Iranian Protester Sentenced To Death Said He Suffered Horrific Torture

The lawyer of Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, an anti-government Iranian protestor sentenced to death, says his client’s confessions have been obtained “under torture” and therefore have no legal validity.

The lawyer, Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani, said on Twitter that he managed to meet Hosseini for the first time on December 18 in the prison in the northern city of Karaj where his client is being incarcerated.

“His narration of his torture was full of tears: beating with eyes blindfolded, hands and feet tied, kicking to the head until he fainted, hitting the soles of his feet with an iron rod and using shockers on different parts of the body.”

Ardakani previously said that the court had denied him access to case materials to defend his client.

Hosseini was handed capital punishment on December 6 for his alleged role in the killing of a member of the paramilitary Basij force, an accusation he has repeatedly rejected.

Four other defendants were sentenced to death in the same case, while 11 others, including three under-18s, received prison terms of up to 25 years

Dozens of people involved in the demonstrations have been handed capital punishment or are facing charges that carry a death sentence.

Iran carried out the first execution on December 8, followed by a second one four days later, triggering international condemnation.