An Islamic Revolutionary Court in Iran has sentenced a citizen who is an indigenous illustrator to death.
Iranian writer and illustrator, Mehdi Bahman was arrested on October 11, 2022, amid nationwide protests after he gave an interview to Israeli TV Channel 13.
No details about the charges against Bahman have been released.
The interview with Channel 13 was given in April 2022, after he approached an Israeli woman to have one of his books translated into Hebrew.
In the interview, Bahman criticizes the Islamic republic for imposing Shari’a law in people’s lives. He also said that according to his observations, the Iranian people have no problem with Israel and Jews around the world, and want to normalize relations between Iran and Israel.
Bahman is also a researcher of religious proximity and has illustrated books of the Torah, Psalms, and the Bible.
Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by the notorious morality police for wearing a hijab “improperly,” Iranians have flooded into the streets across the country in protest, with women and even schoolgirls putting up unprecedented shows of defiance in what appears to be the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
A brutal government crackdown on public demonstrators and dissent has seen several thousand arrested, including journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others voicing opposition to the government.
Lawmakers have demanded an even sharper reaction, calling for heavy penalties, including death sentences, for protesters.
In the last three months, at least 44 Iranian protesters have been accused of “waging war against God” and “corruption on Earth,” which are punishable by death and often leveled in cases allegedly involving espionage or attempts to overthrow the government.
Two public executions have taken place, according to the authorities, and rights groups say many other defendants have been handed death sentences.
Comments