Iran’s judiciary has imposed heavy sentences on protest leaders in his country. Less guilty people should be exonerated. Protests after the death of young Zhina “Masha” Amini have been going on for weeks and are spreading.
“I have ordered our judges not to show undue sympathy for the protagonists in these riots and to impose harsh sentences on them,” Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on Thursday as saying. Less guilty people should be exempt from the harsh action. The limit can be set low. Iranian police have already arrested people who called for participation in the protests.
The reason is the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Zhina “Masha” Amini, who was arrested by the vice squad in Tehran for allegedly violating the rules for wearing a headscarf. She collapsed at the police station and was taken to a hospital, where she died three days later. The circumstances of her death are disputed to this day.
More than 200 dead in protests
At least 201 people have died in the protests, including about 20 security forces, according to human rights groups. The political leadership in the country is in one of the most serious crises since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The EU and the US had already put conservative judge Ejej on a sanctions list in 2011. He was a Secret Service agent in the controversial 2009 presidential election. Protests were also crushed during that time.
President blames US
Current President Ebrahim Raisi holds the US government responsible for, among other things, the unstable situation in Iran. “After the failure of militarization and sanctions, Washington and its allies are resorting to a doomed policy of destabilization,” Raisi said at a rally in Kazakhstan on Thursday. The US and its Western partners have already imposed sanctions on those involved in crushing the current protests. The sanctions are still in effect for four years.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
