Iran Executes Man Convicted of Murder During Protests Linked to Mahsa Amini's Death

Official media reported that "Iran executed a 34-year-old man for killing a security officer during the unrest that erupted following the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini. This is the first execution announced in connection with the protests since moderate President Masoud Bezhakian took office." According to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Pirami was the director of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard intelligence in the Sahneh area. According to the Kurdish rights organization Hengaw, Rasai, a Kurdish individual belonging to a minority religious group, was convicted of killing Pirami and sentenced to death in October 2023. The judiciary's Mizan news agency stated that he was executed on Tuesday. The agency quoted the prosecutor of Kermanshah saying, "After four court sessions and based on the opinion of the forensic doctor as well as the confessions of the accused, it was established that the death was caused by a knife held by Rasai." Amnesty International stated on its website that Rasai's death sentence followed "a completely unfair trial based on confessions obtained from him under torture." Bezhakian, who won the presidential elections in July, had called in 2022 for clarifications from the authorities regarding Mahsa Amini's death and made promises during his campaign to better protect the rights of women and minorities.