Mohammad Ghobadlou, a 23-year-old young man, was executed on the morning of Tuesday, January 23, marking the ninth victim of the Iranian regime’s hostility towards its citizens, particularly those involved in the nationwide protests of 2022.
The Iranian regime’s judicial system, lacking independence, had previously executed Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Mohammad Hosseini, Saeed Yaqoubi, Saleh Mirhashmi, Majid Kazemi, and Milad Zohrevand.
The execution of Ghobadlou on Tuesday morning triggered widespread anger among the populace, with many viewing it as yet another stark indication of the regime’s ‘cruelty’ and the ‘unfairness’ of its judicial system.
The death sentence for Muhammad Ghobadlou was issued by Abolqasem Salavati, known as the ‘death judge,’ in the lower court.
The regime’s judicial system has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to violate even its own ‘authorized laws’ whenever the ‘interests of the system’ are at stake.
Earlier, Amnesty International had issued a warning, stating that the death sentence for this young protester was based on forced confessions extracted through torture.
International organizations have also expressed concerns about other executed protesters and those still at risk of execution.
Milad Zohrevand, a 21-year-old executed on Thursday, November 23, 2023, in Hamedan prison, faced a similar fate as Mohammad Ghobadlou. Both young protesters were accused of killing a regime official. Milad was denied access to a lawyer throughout his detention, interrogation, and imprisonment.
His family faced intense pressure not to disclose information about him. Following his execution, Milad Zohrevand’s father, Ruhollah Zohrevand, was arrested at his son’s funeral and taken to Kermanshah prison.
Born in Malayer, Zohrevand worked as an asphalt worker and was married. His wife was pregnant when he was arrested, and Milad was incarcerated during the birth of his child.
Approximately six months before Milad Zohrevand’s execution, on May 19, 2023, Saeed Yaqoubi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Majid Kazemi were executed for their alleged involvement in the case known as ‘Khaneh-e Esfahan.’
They were accused of shooting at regime officials on November 16, 2022, in Khaneh-e Esfahan area. However, all three protesters maintained in court that they had no role in the shootings and were coerced into confessing under pressure and torture.
The Dadban Legal Consulting Center stated that the Khaneh-e Esfahan case is ‘full of fundamental flaws and defects.’
Prior to that, on January 7, 2023, Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were executed for their alleged involvement in the murder of a Basij named Ruhollah Ajamian during the 40th ceremony of Hadith Najafi.
Hadith Najafi was a woman murdered by security forces during the nationwide uprising of 2022, and the 40th ceremony turned into a protest against the regime.
Initially, five defendants in this case were sentenced to death, but in a retrial, the death sentences of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were upheld, while the other defendants received prison and exile sentences.
Mashallah Karami, Mohammad Mehdi Karami’s father, not only faced insurmountable challenges in preventing his son’s execution despite his relentless efforts but was also arrested by the regime following Mohammad Mehdi’s tragic fate. Both young protesters were subjected to severe torture during interrogation, sparking public anger and disgust.
About a month before the execution of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini, Majidreza Rahnavard was executed by the regime’s judiciary in Mashhad.
Majidreza, arrested just 23 days prior, was denied the right to choose a lawyer throughout his detention and interrogation. He was executed without informing his family, leading to public outrage and condemnation from international and human rights organizations.
A month before Majidreza Rahnavard’s execution, on December 8, 2022, Mohsen Shekari was executed solely on the accusation of setting fire to garbage cans and blocking Tehran’s Sattar Khan Street. Mohsen Shekari was the first protester of the 2022 nationwide uprising to be hanged within a mere 75 days from arrest to execution.
This act, highlighting the regime’s fear and animosity towards protesters, sparked widespread anger among the Iranian people and drew reactions from international institutions and figures, though the regime’s rulers continued their vindictiveness.
The death sentences for Mohsen Shekari and Mohammad Ghobadlou were issued by Abolqasem Salavati, the head of branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, while Hadi Mansouri issued the death sentence for Majidreza Rahnavard.
The death sentences for Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were issued by Musa Asef Al-Hosseini, and the Khaneh-e Isfahan case defendants were executed based on Morteza Barati’s verdict.
On the same day as Mohammad Ghobadlou’s execution, another political prisoner named Farhad Salimi was hanged in Ghezel Hesar prison.
Farhad Salimi was condemned for ‘participating in the assassination’ of a mullah close to the regime in 2009 and was executed without being granted the right to visit his family.
With the death of Mohammad Ghobadlou, the ninth executed protester from the nationwide uprising of 2022, concerns have heightened for other protesters facing severe sentences. Individuals like Milad Armoun, currently in custody in connection with the ‘Ekbatan town’ case, are among those at risk.
The accused in the Ekbatan town case were arrested in connection with the killing of a Basiji named Arman Aliverdi, and due to the special favoritism of this Basiji by the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, they are in great danger.
Over the past year, the regime has not only executed nine protesters but has also significantly increased the number of executions related to other crimes, aiming to instill public terror.
More than 75% of executions in Iran are carried out secretly and without prior notice. The recorded number of executions in 2023 reached at least 864 prisoners, marking the highest figure in the past eight years.
