In 2023, while she was in prison, the Nobel Committee awarded her the Peace Prize, noting “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”.
In recent weeks, as the world has focused on the US-Israeli war against Iran, authorities in Iran have stepped up a crackdown on dissent. Every few days there are reports of arrests of student activists and journalists. Iran has executed 22 people in the past six weeks, some of whom were protesters in anti-government protests that swept the country in January, and dozens more are at risk of execution. According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Sasan Azadvar Junkani, 21, of Iran’s central city of Isfahan was hanged on Thursday, according to media reports and rights groups. He was arrested in January for participating in nationwide protests and throwing stones at security agents, Iran’s judiciary reported. Mr. Junkani, a karate athlete who participated in the tournament, was accused of being a “Mohrebeh” or “enemy of God” in a quick sham trial. According to HRANAAn Iran-focused human rights group in Washington DC, and media reports.
Omid Memarian, a senior fellow and Iran expert at Dawn, a Washington DC think tank focused on US foreign policy, said the treatment of Ms Mohammadi and the recent execution were part of a broader campaign of intimidation.
Mr. Memarian said, “The wartime security environment has significantly increased the risks of activism in Iran, giving the government broader pretext to use violence and making the level of repression much harsher outside of extreme protest moments than before the war.”
