System critics in Iran: Anger and outrage after second execution

Anger and outrage reign in Iran following the execution of a second protester. Foreign Minister Baerbock condemned the regime’s actions as a “blatant attempt at intimidation” and announced tough EU sanctions.

News of the execution of a second protester has sparked outrage and anger across Iran. “Whoever sows the wind will reap the storm” or “We will avenge the blood of the innocent” were angry reactions from system opponents on social media. The pro-government daily Resalat, on the other hand, wrote: “A pardon is good, but justice is more important in Islam.”

Accusation was “war against God”

The slain Majid-Reza R. was convicted of stabbing two members of the security forces and injuring four others in Mashhad on November 17. The accusation was “Moharabeh” – “War against God”. That’s the death penalty.

A report by the Misan news portal, which is subordinate to the judiciary, gave no motive for the alleged attack. State television broadcast video footage allegedly showing him stabbing a man and then running away. The Misan report identified the dead as “student” basij, paramilitary volunteers under the command of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who were deployed to major cities.

Observer: New elections are a long way off

The Basijis are considered the most loyal supporters of the system in Iran – the militias are said to be willing to sacrifice their lives as martyrs. According to eyewitnesses, they were also extremely brutal during the most recent protests. Therefore, the anger and aggression of the demonstrators is directed in particular at the militias. Basijis are said to be among the police and security forces who have died in connection with the demonstrations over the past ten weeks.

Meanwhile, another execution has been postponed, according to media reports. Mahan S., who was also convicted of “waging war against God”, was to be hanged on Sunday in the Rajah Shahr prison west of the capital Tehran. The 23-year-old allegedly stabbed a Basij member and set his motorcycle on fire during the protests.

Moderate circles in the country are warning of a further escalation and are calling for new elections, among other things, to end the political crisis in the country peacefully. For them, President Ebrahim Raisi, his government and the hardliners in parliament and the judiciary are no longer acceptable. According to observers, however, after the execution of the second demonstrator and the expected execution of further death sentences, such an option is becoming a distant prospect.

Baerbock strongly condemns execution

The first execution in connection with the current protests took place on Thursday. A rapper is also said to have attacked a Basij member with a gun, causing terror and blocking a road. His execution was sharply condemned at home and abroad. According to media reports, there are more than 20 demonstrators on the Iranian judiciary’s death list.

The second execution again caused sharp criticism. The actions of the mullahs’ regime in Tehran against the protest movement are an “undisguised attempt at intimidation,” said Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock before the EU foreign ministers’ consultations in Brussels. People would be punished “simply for taking their opinions onto the street, for simply wanting to live in freedom like us,” she said, referring to another package of sanctions from the European Union that the foreign ministers had to vote on .

EU foreign ministers plan new sanctions

The new EU sanctions would target those responsible for the executions, Baerbock said. This included members of the Revolutionary Guards on the one hand, but also those who intimidated people on the streets on the other. “We stand with the innocent people of Iran.”

With regard to the intended revival of the nuclear agreement with Iran, Baerbock said that there had been no negotiations for almost a year anyway. It is clear “that of course nothing will change in this current situation”.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian about the government’s response to the protests and the recent execution in Tehran. It wasn’t an easy conversation, he said. “We will pass a very, very tough package of sanctions,” Borrell said before the ministerial meeting. The punitive measures were triggered not only by the brutal suppression of protests against the government, but also by the delivery of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.