SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iran’s Supreme Court has accepted a protester’s appeal against his death sentence for allegedly damaging public property, and sent his case back for review, the judiciary said on Saturday, as a rights group said more clashes broke out in the west.
Noor Mohammadzadeh, 25, was arrested on Oct. 4 and sentenced to death two months later on a charge of “waging war against God” for allegedly trying to break a highway guardrail in Tehran and setting fire to a bin during anti-government demonstrations.
He rejected the accusations, saying he was forced to confess to his guilt and went on a hunger strike two weeks ago.
Iran has already executed two people involved in mass protests that erupted in September after the death in custody of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality police enforcing the strict dress code for women.
Amnesty International has said Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others in what the campaign group has said is a push to intimidate protesters.
Iranian authorities have blamed Iran’s foreign enemies and their agents for orchestrating the unrest.
“The Supreme Court has accepted the appeal of Sahand Noor Mohammadzadeh, one of the accused in the recent riots. His case has been sent to the same branch of the Revolutionary Court for review,” the judiciary’s Mizan news agency said on Twitter.
(Esta Media Network/Reuters)
