Iran sentences 8 to prison over paramilitary's death during last year's protests

Iran has sentenced seven men and a woman to prison after their convictions over allegedly aiding two men who were earlier executed for killing a paramilitary volunteer during the nationwide protests last year that followed Mahsa Aminis death in police custody state media reported WednesdayThe sentences come just ahead of the oneyear anniversary of Aminis Sept 16 death as authorities have been rounding up activists and others in an apparent attempt to tamp down on any dissent ahead of itThe report by the judiciarys Mizan news agency offered the first official confirmation of the sentences apparently handed down earlier by a Revolutionary Court in the city of Karaj where the November slaying happened The report said the countrys Supreme Court upheld the sentences handed down following an appeal by the lawyers for those convictedThe defendants were found guilty of committing warfare and of ldquocorruption on Earthrdquo a term often used to describe attempts to undermine the Iranian government Mizan saidIrans Revolutionary Court conducts closeddoor hearings and has long been criticised by activists and other nations for their harsh sentences against opposition figures and those with Western ties The tribunals dont allow those on trial to pick their own lawyers or see the evidence against themAmong those sentenced Dr Hamid Qarahasnalu received a 15year sentence while his wife Farzaneh received a fiveyear sentence Mizan said The two must serve that time in a prison far from their homes as must the others sentenced in the caseIts not clear exactly what the doctor and his wife did However during the protests doctors who treated those taking part in the demonstrations faced harassment and arrestAlso read Russia launches 3hour drone attack on Odesa as Ukrainian drones target Moscow againTheir sentencing comes as part of the case that saw two men identified as Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini executed in January The men had been convicted of killing Ruhollah Ajamian a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards volunteer Basij force in the city of Karaj some 40 km 25 miles northwest of Tehran on Nov 3The Basij were deployed in major cities during the demonstrations attacking and detaining protesters who in many cases fought backMore than 500 people were killed and 22000 others arrested in the security crackdown that followed the demonstrationsThe protests began in midSeptember when 22yearold Amini died after being arrested by Irans morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republics strict dress code requiring women to wear the hijab or Islamic headscarfThe protests marked one of the biggest challenges to Irans theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution Women continue to flout wearing the hijab though authorities have lately increased their enforcement of the law by targeting businesses and other locationsIn recent weeks authorities have detained at least 22 activists the majority of them women in an attempt to squash any renewed demonstrations the New Yorkbased Centre for Human Rights in Iran said in a statementldquoIranian authorities are rounding up activists around the country especially women to deliver a message of fear to the populace ahead of the oneyear anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom protest movement Stand up again and well crush yourdquo said Hadi Ghaemi the centres executive directorldquoThis surge in repression after the states killing of hundreds of protesters over the last year demands a global response that goes beyond amplifying the voices of these courageous womenrdquo AP