An Iranian who was arrested in 2019 in the southwestern city of Mahshahr during nationwide protests and was initially condemned to death has been sentenced to 14 years in prison by a court in Khuzestan Province on charges that included murder and possession of weapons, his lawyer, Feresteh Tabanian said on X, formerly Twitter.
Observers say the sentence was issued despite the absence of incriminating evidence or a confession by Abbas Deris regarding the murder of police officer Reza Sayyadi during the protests.
In December last year, an Islamic Revolutionary Court initially sentenced Deris to death and the decision was upheld by Iran's Supreme Court. However, in August, in an unprecedented twist, the sentence was turned into a Qisas, or "retaliation in kind," a form of Islamic retributive justice.
Amid unrest triggered by the September 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in detention for a violation of Iran's dress code Iran has seen a jump in capital punishment sentences issued following what human rights groups and Western governments have described as "sham" trials.
The reexamination of Deris's sentence came amid a sustained social media campaign and public outcry, with Deris's family, including his children, making appeals for the annulment of his execution. Deris's wife has died in the meantime, following a stroke apparently caused by stress.
Thousands of Iranians took to the streets in more than 100 cities and towns in November 2019 to protest the government's sudden decision to raise gas prices. The unrest quickly turned political, with many chanting slogans against the Islamic regime and its leaders.
The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights has confirmed the death of 324 people, including 14 children, during the protests. Reuters, however, estimates that the actual number of people killed was around 1,500.