Family of Executed Protester Rahnavard Harassed

Supporters of the Iranian clerical regime have written insults on the wall of the building where the grieving family of a young man executed in public this week lives.

Social media footage shows members of the paramilitary Basij force taking selfies outside the home of Majidreza Rahnavard’s family in the northeastern city of Mashad with things like "house of a murderer" painted on the wall

The family planned to hold a ceremony in a mosque on December 13 to honor the 23-year-old, but the doors of the building remained closed.

Anti-government protesters gathered outside the mosque, chanting, "If we don't stand together, we will be killed one by one".

مراسم #مجیدرضا_رهنورد در مشهد و تجمع مردم مقابل محل مراسم. pic.twitter.com/vuQ23tVpae

— +۱۵۰۰تصویر (@1500tasvir) December 13, 2022

Rahnavard was executed the previous day after being sentenced to death for allegedly killing two Basij members during protests in Mashhad.

It was the second reported execution linked to ongoing nationwide protests in less than a week.

Like many of those arrested during the demonstrations that erupted in mid-September, Rahnavard did not have the right to choose a lawyer of his choice or the opportunity to defend himself.