A day after Iranian authorities hanged to death Majidreza Rahnavard, a 23-year-old anti-government protestor, reports say Rahnavard's mother was not informed about her son's execution when she came to visit him in prison.
Rahnavard was reportedly hanged on Monday in the Iranian city of Mashhad after being charged with murdering two members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force during the recent protests against the country's theocracy. The court conducted his trial within 23 days of his arrests and convicted him of "enmity against God."
However, Rahnavard's mother was not told of the execution until after his death, reported BBC News. His family was informed of his hanging only after it was carried out. When the relatives turned up there, security agents were already burying his body.
According to a tweet by opposition activist collective 1500tasvir, an Iranian official telephoned the family to inform them that "we have killed your son and buried his body in Behesht-e Reza cemetery."
The tweet read: "They allowed #MajidRezaRahnavard’s mother to visit him, and didn’t speak of execution at all. She left smiling and hoping that her son would be released soon. This morning she arrived when her son’s murderers were burying his dead body alone."
They allowed #MajidRezaRahnavard’s mother to visit him, and didn’t speak of execution at all. She left smiling and hoping that her son would be released soon.
— 1500tasvir_en (@1500tasvir_en) December 12, 2022
This morning she arrived when her son’s murderers were burying his dead body alone.#StopExecutionInIran pic.twitter.com/9n2k02uE60
There are also allegations that Rahnavard was denied a lawyer of his choice and the lawyer he was given did not put up a defence.
According to the authorities, Rahnavard was hanged "in the presence of a group of Mashhadi citizens." The Mizan news agency also posted several pictures showing a man hanging from the cable in front of onlookers. However, it is not clear how many people attended the execution.
Even Rahnavard's confession was coerced, say Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based Iran Human Rights. Amiry-Moghaddam took to Twitter to add that Rahnavard was sentenced based on "coerced confessions, after a grossly unfair process and a show trial".
"This crime must be met with serious consequences for the Islamic Republic," he said, adding that there was a "serious risk of mass execution of protesters."
Meanwhile, the European Union has sanctioned Iranian state TV and its director for broadcasting forced confessions. This came after the state TV broadcast a video of Rahnavard's confession.
The 23-year-old man was seen blindfolded and with his left arm in a cast, stating that he did attack the Basij members, but did not remember the details, because he had not been in the right state of mind.
According to activists, the Iranian state media routinely broadcast false confessions by detainees elicited through torture and other ill-treatment.
