Protester's Execution Sparks Clashes at Iranian Jail's Women's Ward

Tensions have escalated in Tehran's Evin Prison following the execution of imprisoned protester Reza Rasaei on Tuesday. 

The execution has sparked protests in the women's ward of the prison, leading to reported clashes between security officers and inmates.

The women's ward at Evin Prison has been at the forefront of a campaign called "No Execution Tuesdays," protesting against the rising number of executions in Iran.

According to reports from political activists, security forces attacked protesters in response to the demonstrations, and the prison's phone lines were disconnected.

Human rights activist Aliya Matlabzadeh posted on X, "Reza Rasaei was executed, and that is in the days when we all worry about conflict and the outbreak of war." 

She added that female prisoners vocally protested Rasaei's execution, calling on the public to oppose such actions.

Taghi Rahmani, husband of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political prisoner Narges Mohammadi, confirmed the disconnection of Evin prison's telephone lines. 

Political activist Mehdi Mahmoudian reported that several political prisoners were injured during the security forces' intervention and were taken to the hospital. 

Due to the communication blackout, details about the prisoners' conditions remain unclear.

Rasaei was executed at dawn on August 6 at Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah. Just an hour after his execution, his body was buried on the outskirts of Kermanshah, far from Sahneh, in a ceremony attended only by close family members, including his mother. 

Security forces restricted access to the burial site, preventing people from attending and saying their final goodbyes.

Before Rasaei's execution, death sentences had been carried out for Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Mohammad Hosseini, Mohammad Mehdi Karmi, Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaqoubi, Saleh Mirhashmi, Milad Zohrehvand, and Mohammad Qobadloo.

Rasaei's execution follows a rapid legal process that has raised serious concerns about due process.

Mohammad Rasool Haqnejati, head of the second branch of the Criminal Court of Kermanshah, issued the death sentence in October 2023.

On December 31 that year, he forwarded Rasaei's case to the Execution of Sentences Department of Kermanshah province, two weeks after Iran's Supreme Court had approved the sentence.

Rasaei was sentenced to death for the alleged murder of Nader Bairami, the IRGC intelligence chief in Sahneh City.

However, human rights organizations have highlighted significant issues with the case. The sentence was reportedly issued under pressure from the head of the judiciary despite a lack of evidence to prove the crime.