Iran says protest action constitutes death penalty | World | News

Protests broke out on the streets of Iran in December over the country’s ailing economy, but quickly turned to overthrow the Mullah regime, which has ruled with an iron fist since 1979.

Footage of the protest shows the capital, Tehran, being covered in graffiti, and reports say protesters are chanting slogans calling for the death of 86-year-old religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

US-based activist organization Human Rights Activists News Agency said on Sunday (January 18) that at least 3,919 deaths had been confirmed during the protests but feared the number could be much higher.

The death toll exceeds the number of other protests and unrest in Iran over decades.

Khamenei blamed the deaths on “terrorists and rebels” linked to the United States and Israel; The Iranian judiciary said on Sunday that they were “Mohareb”. Mohareb carries the death penalty.

“A series of actions have been described as Mohareb, which is among the most severe Islamic punishments,” Iranian judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said at a press conference. he said.

Last week, attention turned to the planned execution of 26-year-old protester Erfan Soltani. His execution did not take place and his family confirmed that he was alive.

The planned executions caught the attention of Trump, who warned Iran against using violence against protesters.

Trump and senior Iranian officials made threats to each other during the ongoing protests, further increasing tensions between the countries.

While the US president warned of a response to the killings of protesters, he did not specify what action he would take.

In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that if Iran “violently murders peaceful protesters,” the United States will “come to their rescue.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in his post on social media on Sunday, warned that “his reaction to any unjust attack will be harsh and sad.” He added that an attack on Khamenei would be considered “equivalent to an all-out war against the nation.”