Iranian press review: Seven protesters face imminent execution
Lawyers denied access as seven face execution
Official Iranian reports have announced that at least seven people arrested during the recent anti-establishment protests have been sentenced to death, and their executions may be carried out soon.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights organisation had earlier reported that dozens of arrested protesters have received death sentences. However, this is the first time the sentences have been officially confirmed inside the country.
Hassan Agakhani, the lawyer for three people on death row – Mohammad Amin Biglari, 19, Yaser Rajaeifar, 31, and Shahab Zohdi, 40 – said they were sentenced to death on 7 February.
Agakhani added that he and Maryam Sadrnia, the other lawyer on the case, have not been given access to their clients’ case files. He said the judiciary has not allowed them to obtain information about the trial or court proceedings.
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The lawyer said that he does not even have clear information about the incident that led to the death sentences.
According to Agakhani, four other people – Abolfazl Salehi Siavashani, Amir Hossein Hatami, Shahin Vahediparast and Ali Fahim – have also been sentenced to death in the same case.
In past protests, authorities have carried out executions quickly to increase pressure on dissenters and create fear. This time, however, the government did not officially announce the sentences earlier. The delay came after US President Donald Trump warned of a possible military response if the executions were carried out.
Protesting school students remain in detention
One week after Education Minister Alireza Kazemi said all students arrested during the nationwide protests in January had been released, independent sources say a number of protesters under 18 are still being held in prisons.
Mohammad Habibi, spokesperson for the Council of Teachers’ Unions, rejected the minister’s claim. “Evidence and field investigations show that a number of minors and students are still being detained,” he said.
At least 50 students remain in detention, according to Habibi. He said that many of these cases are not reported in the media because families are concerned about the fate of the detainees.
“Many families are worried that publishing news about their children’s condition will complicate the process of their release, and they prefer not to share it with the media,” he explained.
After questions were raised about the discrepancy in the numbers released by the Ministry of Education, some officials claimed that those under 18 who remain in detention are not enrolled in school and are therefore not the ministry’s responsibility.
Ali Mojtahedzadeh, an Iranian lawyer, rejected that claim, saying he has information showing that students are still being held in several cities.
He also said that even if some of those detained are not currently in school, they are still of compulsory school age.
“These individuals should have special legal protections even if they do not go to school,” he said.
Critics barred from council elections
The final list of approved candidates for Iran’s urban and rural council elections shows that reformists and conservative critics have been barred from running.
The seventh round of council elections will be held in April. However, the scale of the disqualifications suggests that only a limited number of candidates close to the centre of the establishment have been approved.
The Etemad daily reported that the disqualifications go beyond factional rivalry.
“The wide range of those disqualified has taken the matter beyond factional competition and turned it into a sign of structural contraction in local politics,” the daily wrote.
Ismail Gerami-Moghaddam, a reformist figure who registered as a candidate and was later disqualified, criticised the process. He said the disqualifications harm the country at a time when Iran faces international pressure and domestic dissatisfaction.
“The disqualifications show that governing bodies have not changed their approach despite the country’s current conditions, and that there is no intention to do so,” he was quoted as saying.
City and rural councils do not hold major political authority; however, members in large cities such as Tehran often gain public recognition, which helps them enter parliament and other political institutions.
Hack behind mass message about US attack
Iranian police said a nationwide text message sent to tens of thousands of mobile phones about an imminent attack order by US President Donald Trump was the result of a hack.
On Monday, many subscribers across the country received a message that read: “To the oppressed people of Iran: The US president is a man of action, you will see soon.”
Local media reported that at least 50,000 people received the text.
Police said the country’s mass text message system had been hacked from outside Iran, but did not name a specific country.
It is not the first time the national text message system has been targeted. Last year, after the 12-day war with Israel, a similar nationwide message warned people of possible military attacks.
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