Did Iran Issue Death Sentences To 15000 Protestors Over Anti-Hijab Protests? Know The Truth!

On 13 September, Mahsa Amini (22) was detained by the "morality police" in Iran's capital Tehran for violating the law relating to wearing the hijab. On 16 September, Mehsa Amini died allegedly in police custody. Her death has led to a wave of anti-hijab protests across Iran. Many videos have been viral where women can be seen burning hijab and cutting their hair. According to the report of the Independent dated October 3, at least 133 protesters have been killed by security forces so far. Several human rights organizations claimed that the Iranian government detained at least 15,000 protesters.

Meanwhile, several posts is going viral on social media claiming that Iran is going to sentence 15000 protestors to death, presenting a harsh lesson to the protesters involved in the anti-hijab protests.

Celebrities like Peter Frampton, and Sophie Turner also shared this post claiming the Iran government is going to execute 15000 protestors involved in the Hijab protest.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also Tweeted about the death penalty. He wrote a caption which reads, "Canada denounces the Iranian regime's barbaric decision to impose the death penalty on nearly 15,000 protestors. These brave Iranians were fighting for their human rights – and we continue to stand united in support of them, and united against the regime's heinous actions". He later deleted the tweet. Below you can see the screenshot.

This post is viral on social media with a similar caption.

Claim:

Iran is going to sentence 15000 protestors to death for anti-Hijab protests.

Fact Check:

The Logical Indian fact-check team verified the viral claim and found it to be false. No such order is issued by the Iran government.

During the initial investigation, we searched for the media reports mentioning the death penalty for 15000 anti-hijab protestors by the Iran government. However, we did not find any credible source which can corroborate the viral claim.

On doing a keyword search, we found that so far, only one person has been sentenced to death in cases related to the protests in Iran. According to the reports, a man involved in the protests has been sentenced to death on multiple charges, including incitement to murder, harming security forces, propaganda against the regime, and damage to public property. The man, who has been sentenced to death by a Tehran court, is accused of setting fire to government buildings, inciting riots, and conspiracy against national security. Also, five others who participated in the protests received sentences of five to ten years in prison.

On searching more, we found that the viral claim is based on a letter that was signed by 227 members of parliament in Iran, according to the Iranian media. In the letter, members of parliament in Iran requested the legal officials to consider heavy sanctions for all those participating in the riots, both as agents on the ground and inciters. The excerpt of the letter reads, "We, the representatives of this nation, ask all state officials, including the Judiciary, to treat those, who waged war [against the Islamic establishment] and attacked people's life and property like the Daesh [terrorists], in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time."

However, it is to be noted that nowhere the letter suggests any calls for the death penalty. It is also to be noted that Iran's parliament does not have any authority to pass judgment. The letter was not in itself any kind of binding action; rather, it was a general call to the Iranian courts to handle demonstrators harshly. According to the constitution of Iran, Article 57 reads, "The powers of government in the Islamic Republic are vested in the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive powers, functioning under the supervision of the absolute wilayat al-'amr and the Leadership of the Ummah, in accordance with the forthcoming articles of this Constitution. These powers are independent of each other."

Further, Article 156 mentioned, "The judiciary is an independent power, the protector of the rights of the individual and society, responsible for the implementation of justice."

On searching more, we also found a tweet from Sune Engel Rasmussen, a Foreign correspondent of the Wall Street Journal who covers issues mostly related to Afghanistan & Iran, refuting the viral claim. He tweeted that Iran has not sentenced 15,000 protesters to death, as celebrities and political leaders are saying. Below you can read the tweet thread.

Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist at BBC also refuted the viral claim.

Conclusion:

It is evident from our investigation that the viral claim of the Iranian government sentencing death penalties to 15000 anti-hijab protestors is false. Only one protestor got the death sentence so far. Though, evidence indicates that authorities could issue more death penalties in the coming days. However, the claim of sentencing 15000 protestors to death is false.

If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.

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