After massive online campaign, Iran suspends execution of 3 men linked to protests

The Iranian judiciary has suspended the executions of three men linked to anti-government protests in November, one of their attorneys, Babak Paknia, said on Sunday as reported by Reuters.

Rights activists had said the death sentences were aimed at intimidating future protesters.

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.

Last Thursday, security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in the southwestern city of Behbahan, witnesses said, who were protesting against the economic problems but also the death sentences against the three men. The death sentences of Amirhossein Moradi, 25, Mohammad Rajabi, 25, and Saeed Tamjidi, 27, were upheld by an Iranian court.

The Farsi hashtag “No To Execution” quickly gained traction, according to analysts, and attracted Iranians from all sectors of society in remarkable numbers. Last week, the hashtag had been tweeted at least six million times and been engaged with on Instagram ten million times

Read: Iranians call on government to stop executions in online campaign

In a rare acknowledgement of popular dissent, government spokesman Ali Rabiei wrote a commentary in Saturday’s Iran newspaper, saying that the tweets were “a civil action by citizens (trying) to be heard”.

US President Trump also tweeted the hashtag twice, in English and Persian, alongside a message calling for the death sentences to be repealed.

“Three individuals were sentenced to death in Iran for participating in protests. The execution is expected momentarily. Executing these three people sends a terrible signal to the world and should not be done! #StopExecutionsInIran”, Trump’s tweet read.

Read: Trump joins Iran ‘No to Executions’ protests