Lawyers, groups condemn Iran’s execution of women’s rights protester

Lawyers and human rights groups have condemned Iran for the execution of a man accused of killing a Revolutionary Guard during women’s rights protests.
The family of Gholamreza “Reza” Rasaei and his lawyer were not informed in advance of the execution that took place Monday. Iran’s judiciary website later announced its action against the 34-year-old, whom Iran alleged had stabbed a member of the Revolutionary Guard.
Rasaei, a member of the Kurdish and Yaresan ethnic and religious minority, was arrested in November 2022 after taking part in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests. Amnesty International has described his trial as “grossly unfair,” noting it used as evidence forced confessions obtained under torture.
The protests were a response to the death in September 2022 of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been detained by the morality police for allegedly not complying with the country’s veiling laws.
Dadban, a group of pro bono lawyers who represent Iranian political prisoners, and Amnesty International are among the organizations to condemn Iran’s actions as unfair and unlawful.
“The continuing arbitrary execution of protesters in the aftermath of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising illustrates yet again that without constitutional, legal and policy reforms, human rights violations and impunity will persist,” Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director, said in a statement.
During the first week of the protests, Iran detained between 15,000 and 16,000 people, Amnesty has previously reported. Those detained have reported widespread torture and ill treatment, the rights group has said.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to VOA’s email requesting comment.
Rasaei was the 10th person to be executed in connection with the protests.
Human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher has also condemned the action and called the case a “sham.” Gallagher works for British legal firm Doughty Street Chambers, which advocates for high-profile cases, including the Nobel laureate and journalist Maria Ressa and the detained pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai.
“Reza Rasaei — a supporter of #WomenLifeFreedom — executed in secret, after his conviction on sham charges, a grossly unfair trial & sustained torture. No one should now persist with the illusion of a ‘reformist’ President; this is the reality,” said Gallagher in a post on X.
Eltahawy said the case against Rasaei underscores the need for states to hold Iranian officials responsible by initiating criminal investigations under international standards.
Journalists and activists, including the Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi, have also condemned the execution on social media.