The Iranian regime is preparing to execute the first woman for participating in the January protests, one of approximately 1,600 individuals sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic last year. Bita Hemati was sentenced to death by hanging on a series of charges, including the use of explosives and weapons, throwing objects such as concrete blocks, participating in demonstrations, and undermining national security, according to a press release issued on Tuesday by the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Her husband, Mohammadreza Majid Asl, 34, and two other men, Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninezhad, who lived with her, were also sentenced to death after a summary trial, and their properties were confiscated. An execution date has not yet been announced. The fifth defendant, Hemati's relative, Amir Hemati, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for "conspiracy and collaboration against national security," as well as "propaganda against the regime."
"The Iranian Resistance once again calls on the United Nations, relevant international organizations, and human rights defenders to take immediate action to save the lives of death-row prisoners, especially political prisoners and those arrested during the uprising," the NCRI said in a statement.
Protests in Iran were sparked by a series of local strikes by shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran in late December. Within two days, they had spread throughout the capital, and by January, students and other groups had joined a nationwide resistance movement. Thousands of protesters were killed or injured, while tens of thousands were arrested or detained as part of the government crackdown.