Iran issues first death sentence in riots sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death | Tech Reddy

Iran has sentenced one anti-government protester to death and jailed five others, according to state media reports.

The decision is expected to mark the first death sentence in the trials of those arrested for taking part in the protests that have swept Iran in recent weeks, demanding the end of clerical rule.

The anti-government demonstrations entered their eighth week, after being sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Miss Amini died in police custody after being arrested in Tehran by the so-called morality police, for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women by wearing a too-loose hijab.

Mizan, a news website linked to Iran’s judiciary, says a protester who faced charges of setting fire to a government building has been sentenced to death.

Five people were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to 10 years in length, following alleged violations of national security and public order.

Mizan said that separate branches of the Revolutionary Court issued the verdicts but did not share more details about the protesters on trial, who can appeal the decisions.

The court was created after the 1979 Islamic revolution and is known for handing out harsh punishments to those who oppose Iran’s clerical leaders.

Iran has already issued indictments for hundreds of detained protesters, saying it will hold public trials for them.

Judicial authorities announced charges against hundreds of people in other Iranian provinces.

Some were accused of “corruption on earth” and “war against God” – crimes that carry the death penalty.

More than 300 people, including dozens of children, have died as Iranian security forces, including paramilitary volunteers with the Revolutionary Guard, have violently cracked down on recent demonstrations, according to the Oslo-based Human Rights Watch in Iran.

Iranian authorities say more than 40 security forces have also been killed in the nationwide unrest.

Although the protests first focused on ending Iran’s mandatory dress code, or hijab, they have since morphed into one of the biggest challenges for ruling clerics since the chaotic years following the Islamic Revolution of 1979.