Iran Protest Crackdown: 19-Year-Old Handed Capital Punishment

An Iranian court sentenced a 19-year-old protester to death on December 20 on the charge of “waging war against God,” at the end of a trial held online.

Security forces arrested Ali Makan Davari during an October 10 anti-government rally in the northern city of Langarood.

Davari was accused of “disruption of order, collusion, waging war against God, corruption on Earth, spreading propaganda against the regime, and insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic.”

Iran has been gripped by protests demanding more freedoms and women’s rights since the September death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of morality police. She had been arrested for an alleged breach of the country’s strict dress code.

Iranian security forces have killed at least 469 people since the eruption of the demonstrations, including 63 under-18s, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group. At least 18,000 others have been detained.

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.