Fears Grow Surrounding Iran's Punishment For Protesters

Protests in Iran continue in response to the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died while in police custody after having been detained for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.

Since the protests began in September, HRANA, an Iranian human rights organization, estimates that at least 344 protesters have been killed, and almost 16,000 have been detained. 

Last week, in an open letter signed by the vast majority of Iran’s members of Parliament, lawmakers called for "no leniency” against protestors.  The letter reads:

“We, the representatives of this nation, ask all state officials, including the Judiciary, to treat those, who waged war (against the Islamic establishment) and attacked people’s life and property like the Daesh (terrorists), in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time.”

And on Monday, an Iranian court court issued the first known death sentence to a protester since the demonstrations began in September. The protester was accused of setting a government building on fire and charged with “war against God” and “corruption on Earth.”

We speak with Jason Rezaian, Global Opinions Writer for The Washington Post and former Tehran correspondent for The Washington Post.

For full transcript, see above. 

Protests in Iran continue in response to the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died while in police custody after having been detained for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly.

Since the protests began in September, HRANA, an Iranian human rights organization, estimates that at least 344 protesters have been killed, and almost 16,000 have been detained. 

Last week, in an open letter signed by the vast majority of Iran’s members of Parliament, lawmakers called for "no leniency” against protestors.  The letter reads:

“We, the representatives of this nation, ask all state officials, including the Judiciary, to treat those, who waged war (against the Islamic establishment) and attacked people’s life and property like the Daesh (terrorists), in a way that would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time.”

And on Monday, an Iranian court court issued the first known death sentence to a protester since the demonstrations began in September. The protester was accused of setting a government building on fire and charged with “war against God” and “corruption on Earth.”

We speak with Jason Rezaian, Global Opinions Writer for The Washington Post and former Tehran correspondent for The Washington Post.