Babak Paknia, one of the attorneys of the Iranian Judiciary has announced that the execution of the three men linked to anti-government protests staged in November will be suspended.
This decision was as a result of series of online protests staged against the execution of the three men by Rights activist who had said the death sentences were aimed at intimidating and scaring off future protesters.
Amirhossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi were sentenced to death by the Iranian Supreme Court for participating in the country’s anti-government demonstrations which killed hundreds of people in the street.
With hardship mounting because of US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, Iran’s clerical rulers have been trying to prevent a revival of anti-government protests that took place in November last year, when hundreds are believed to have been killed in the worst street violence since the 1979 revolution.
Witnesses from the last protest on Thursday said, “Last Thursday, security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in the southwestern city of Behbahan who were protesting against the economic problems but also the death sentences against the three men.”
The Farsi hashtag “No To Execution” which has been tweeted more than six million times and engaged more than 10 million times on Instagram has attracted analysts and Iranians from all over the world.
Even US President Trump also tweeted the hashtag alongside a message calling for the death sentences to be repealed.
His tweet reads, “Three individuals were sentenced to death in Iran for participating in protests. The execution is suspended momentarily. Executing these three people sends a terrible signal to the world and should not be done! #StopExecutionsInIran.”
However, the government spokesman while acknowledging the tweets said, “The tweets are a civil action by citizens trying to be heard.”
