Human rights advocates have warned that the execution of Abbas Deris, an Iranian protester imprisoned after unrest in 2019 over a hike in gas prices, may be imminent after his death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Fereshteh Tabanian, a lawyer for Deris, said Branch 39 of the Supreme Court confirmed the sentence without giving any regard to objections she filed in the case on July 5. Deris and his brother, Moshen, were accused of "waging war against God, disrupting order, and participating in the murder of Reza Sayadi," a member of the special police forces.
“Abbas Deris is at serious risk of being executed in the very near future and the only way to save his life is to raise the political cost of his execution," said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights.
"There’s no evidence against him but torture-tainted forced confessions. His sentence is unlawful not only according to international laws but even according to the Islamic republic’s own laws.”
Tabanian said Deris has rejected accusations he was involved in the shooting, while the family of the deceased special force officer had given their consent to a pardon.
The November 2019 protests saw thousands of citizens in more than 100 Iranian cities and towns protesting the government's sudden decision to raise gas prices. The protests quickly turned political, with many chanting against the Iranian regime and its leaders.
Iranian Human Rights has confirmed the death of 324 citizens, including 14 children, in the protests, but the Reuters news agency has estimated through its research that the actual number of people killed was around 1,500.
In an interview with the website Iran Watch, Tabanian outlined the flaws in her client's case, saying no weapon was found in Deris's possession and that a neighbor who was arrested with a weapon claimed it belonged to Deris. The court based its verdict on the neighbor's confession.
Tabanian added that Deris, who has poor eyesight, was well away from where Sayadi was killed.
"We have obtained the consent of Reza Sayadi's family, and the family of this special police force member said that they do not even want blood money," Tabanian said, adding "the principle is that the death sentence should be canceled and the charge of waging war should be acquitted."
Iran, which has been rocked over the past year by demonstrations over deteriorating living conditions coupled with discontent over a lack of freedoms, especially women's rights, has been sharply criticized for a jump in executions as it tries to quell the unrest.
The wave of executions has sparked outrage among rights activists and many Western governments, who have called the legal proceedings against the accused "sham" trials where proper representation is not always granted and decisions are rushed behind closed doors.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights said on June 1 at least 307 people have been executed in 2023, a 76 percent rise compared with the same period last year.