Iranian authorities in Ghezel Hesar prison, Karaj, executed political prisoner Mohammad Ghobadlou on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, for taking part in anti-regime protests.
Ghobadlou, 23, was arrested in Tehran in October 2022, during the nationwide uprisings that erupted after the regime’s security forces murdered a young girl, Mahsa Amini, for violating the regime’s hijab rules.
He was charged with the murder of one of the repressive forces who had been dispatched to suppress the protests. His case was overseen by Abolghasem Salavati, a notorious judge under U.S. and European sanctions for his role in human rights abuses, especially against dissidents.
Ghobadlou was denied access to a lawyer of his choosing and was appointed an attorney by the court. He was charged with “Corruption on Earth” and sentenced to death despite a severely flawed judicial process and lack of evidence aside from confessions obtained under torture.
The regime upheld the death sentence despite international calls for revoking it.
On Monday, January 22, 2024, news broke of Ghobadlou’s imminent execution in Ghezel Hesar prison. International human rights organizations called for a halt to the sentence.
“The case of this young man with a disability arrested in connection with the 2022 protests has been marred by torture and secretive proceedings,” Amnesty International wrote on its X account calling on the regime to stop the execution.