Iran faced international condemnation Friday after carrying out its first known execution over protests that have shaken the regime for nearly three months, leading to calls for even more demonstrations.
Mohsen Shekari was hanged Thursday after being convicted for blocking a Tehran street and wounding a paramilitary on September 25, after a legal process that rights groups denounced as a show trial.
The announcement sparked an international outcry and warnings from human rights groups that more hangings were imminent. Amnesty International said it was “horrified” by the execution, which followed Shekari’s condemnation in a “grossly unfair sham trial.”
“His execution exposes the inhumanity of Iran’s so-called justice system” where many others face “the same fate,” it added. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights, urged a strong international reaction to deter the Islamic republic from carrying out more executions.— AFP
