Following the executions by the Revolutionary Guards and Raisi, Mai Sato criticized the trial process and executions in Iran
🔸 Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, published a statement on Monday, 13 Mehr, in response to the execution of Revolutionary Guards member Alireza, one of the protesters from the Deh Ramshir uprising.
In this statement, she expressed "serious concerns" regarding the treatment of defendants and the lack of a fair trial in Iran.
Following the announcement of the execution of Alireza Raisi on Monday morning, relatives of Alireza Raisi announced the execution of this protester on social media.
Revolutionary Guards member Alireza was scheduled to be executed on Tuesday morning, August 6, 2024, along with Revolutionary Guards members Abolfazl Badjani and Amir Hossein Safari Hosseinabadi, but he suffered a stroke before being transferred to the execution site and was taken to the hospital due to physical deterioration. Two days later, after receiving medical treatment, he was returned to Asadabad prison. Mai Sato wrote in her new social media post that "the people of Asadabad stayed in Taleghani Square on the night of August 5 until dawn to prevent the execution of three protesters"; according to her, the stage was set for a public execution and security forces were also present around it.
Ms. Sato explained: "People rushed there to prevent the executions. The forces were met with violence and lethal force. However, people stayed and did not stop trying to save these people's lives until the last moment. It is not a crime to gather to ask for the preservation of human life, especially against public executions, which contravene international human rights."
She added that two of the three convicts were executed that night in front of their families and attendees, but Revolutionary Guards member Alireza was taken to the hospital after suffering a heart attack on the ground and his sentence was postponed, yet Revolutionary Guards member Alireza was ultimately executed on the morning of the 13th of Mehr. The UN Special Rapporteur wrote: "No one should face such a punishment and no community should be forced to watch it."
She further stated that the case of the Revolutionary Guards member is tied to "serious concerns" regarding the handling of defendants and the issue of maintaining a fair trial, pointing to reports of torture inflicted on him and his family members.
According to her, despite the acceptance of the Revolutionary Guards member's appeal on September 11 and the referral of the case for retrial, his death sentence was carried out while his lawyer was still requesting to review the file.
Mai Sato called the public execution an example of "cruel, inhuman and degrading" behavior and said that no community should be forced to watch such a punishment.
She explained that "public execution turns death into a spectacle and exposes society as a whole to state violence."