A death sentence handed down to an Iranian rapper in connection with the ongoing demonstrations in the country was overturned on appeal, but another man’s fight against a sentence of the same severity was unsuccessful.
The Iranian judiciary announced on Saturday that the country’s highest court has agreed to hear the appeal of an ethnic Kurdish rapper named Saman Seyyedi, who is also known as Saman Yasin. It pointed to problems with the inquiry into the case but did not provide any further information.
An Iranian court found Seyyedi guilty of moharebeh, which literally translates to “waging war against God.” Seyyedi had supported demonstrators online and had created several protest songs before his conviction. During the turmoil that the police refer to as “riots,” he was accused of trying to kill security forces and shooting a revolver into the air. This was done while the unrest was occurring.
In the past week, there have been rumours—which Iranian authorities have not confirmed—that Seyyedi managed to survive an attempt to end his life in prison, where there have been rumours that he could be executed in the near future.
Another young guy, Mohammad Ghobadlou, was able to successfully appeal his death sentence, according to an early notice that was published on the official news website of the judiciary on Saturday. However, an update provided later in the day made it clear that the Supreme Court had decided against hearing his appeal.
The young man, who is only 22 years old, was found guilty of “corruption on earth” by a Revolutionary Court after he was accused of running over and killing a member of the security forces with his automobile as well as injuring numerous other people.
After the news broke, Amnesty International issued a statement demanding that the authorities quickly overturn his death sentence, which had been handed down less than two months after his detention on September 22, following a “sham unfair trial.”
At this point, at least two people have been put to death in Iran for crimes related to the protests. The second execution took place at the beginning of this month when Majidreza Rahnavard was hanged from a construction crane in full view of the public for the alleged murder of two members of the security forces.
Amnesty International has issued a warning that there is a possibility that more than two dozen more people will be executed in the near future.
The demonstrations started in the middle of September after the passing of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who had been detained in Tehran by the morality police of the country for allegedly violating a mandatory dress code for women. Mahsa Amini had died shortly after her imprisonment.
On Saturday, 100 days had passed since the demonstrations first began, and videos posted online showed nighttime protests taking place in a number of locations. Internet connections are still being heavily throttled, and the vast majority of major social media platforms and messaging services from across the world have been shut off.
The authorities in Iran have pointed the finger at foreign countries like the United States and Israel as being responsible for the unrest in their nation. Sanctions related to human rights have been imposed on Tehran by a number of countries and organizations, including the United States, the European Union, and several others. In response, Tehran has imposed its own set of sanctions.