Gallows in the same square; Public execution of two protesters in Isfahan

This morning, Tuesday 6th of August, two young men were executed in Alikhani Square, Malekshahr, Isfahan. Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani. Amirhossein Safri Hosseinabadi. Both of those arrested during the protests in January last year.

But the most important point of this news is not the names. is the place

These two people were not executed in prison. They were executed in the same square where their case had started. A day earlier, locals spotted a metal scaffolding being erected in the square — and the news hit social media ahead of any official announcement.

On Monday night, the square was not empty. Families came. Local people came. The Center for Human Rights in Iran says people gathered to stop the execution. Hangau Organization reported a number of wounded and arrested. In unverified videos released by activists, troops on motorcycles enter the square to disperse the crowd. The verdict was executed after the square was empty.

There have also been reports that a woman was shot dead during these clashes. I emphasize: this report has not yet been verified by any independent human rights organization. We will follow it up and let you know as soon as we confirm or deny it.

The case of Alikhani Square goes back to the 18th of last year. According to the officials of the Islamic Republic, four members of the Basij and special forces were killed in this area that day. After that, at least fifty people were arrested. Twelve people were sentenced to death. Twenty-three people, imprisonment of five to ten years.

UN experts say that it is not yet clear what the exact charges were against these people - because the Revolutionary Court was closed to the public and the text of the verdicts has not been published.

Nine days ago, two more people from the same case were executed: Erfan Esfandiari, who was eighteen years old at the time of arrest, and Gul Mohammad Mohammadi, a twenty-three-year-old citizen of Afghanistan. With today's execution, this case reached four executions. Eight other people are waiting.

And now the analysis.

First, the location. Execution at the place of protest has no judicial function. It has a communication function. The message is written for the residents of the same neighborhood.

Second, time. On July 23rd, the UN fact-finding panel demanded an immediate halt to these executions. A few hours before the execution of today's verdict, the UN Special Rapporteur warned. The sentence was executed. That is, international pressure does not have a decisive weight in current calculations.

Third, asymmetry. The case of the killing of four security forces reached the gallows in less than seven months. On the same day and in the same area, a number of protesters were killed by direct fire. No independent judicial case has been announced for them yet.

Conclusion: Public execution is introduced as a deterrent tool. But what was seen this morning in Malekshahr - a crowd that did not leave until the last moment - shows that this tool has the opposite effect in the short term. The next test is the fate of those eight people.

From Pulse Iran twenty-four.