Iran executes two more demonstrators following protests

Tehran, Iran - Two more protesters have been executed in Iran, with the Iranian judicial authority announcing on Saturday that they had been hanged in the early hours of the morning.

People gather outside of an Iranian diplomat's residence to denounce the Iranian government and the recent execution of a protester on December 10, 2022, in New York City.
People gather outside of an Iranian diplomat's residence to denounce the Iranian government and the recent execution of a protester on December 10, 2022, in New York City.  © SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

They were allegedly responsible for the death of a security guard during anti-regime protests in November, the judiciary said on its web portal Mizan.

This brings to four the number of protesters executed in the course of more than three months of protests against the system of government.

In a separate press release published in the media on Saturday, the judicial authority announced that renowned Iranian photographer Yalda Moaiery had been sentenced to two months as a street sweeper in a park for women for her involvement in the protests and the resulting threat to national security.

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In addition, she must write a 100-page research report on an Iranian cleric as punishment, the judiciary said, according to the daily newspaper Shargh.

The photographer herself confirmed the court's verdict on Instagram, posting a video of herself wearing an orange uniform at her new job.

As she was not allowed to reflect the realities of her country as a photographer, she was very happy to do this honorable work, the 41-year-old explained on Instagram.

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New Yorkers protest the crackdown on protesters in Iran and demand an end to executions.
New Yorkers protest the crackdown on protesters in Iran and demand an end to executions.  © SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Moaiery, who has won multiple awards, was arrested in September while taking photos of protests. She was released on bail at the end of December.

The sentence also includes a six-year suspended sentence and a two-year ban on leaving the country. She was banned from using her mobile phone or social media for the same amount of time. She was also banned from living in Tehran and the capital's suburbs for two years, the freelance photographer shared on Instagram.

According to the judicial authority, she can appeal against the verdict.

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Moaiery was previously in trouble with the judiciary in 2019 for her pictures during the political unrest at the time.

Reporting possibilities in Iran have been massively restricted since the protests. This is compounded by internet disruptions and blockades.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York, more than 80 media professionals have so far been arrested during the recent protests.

The arrests were strongly condemned on social media, and mocked too. With all the imprisoned journalists, Tehran's notorious Evin prison now had enough people to set up its own news agency, one post said.

Cover photo: SPENCER PLATT / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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