Iranian Regime Deliberately Stages Public Hangings to Silence Protesters; Latest Iranian Rapper Safavi Sentenced to Death

Iranian authorities have sentenced a 22-year-old rapper, Mahnam Navab Safavi, to death by a Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, according to a source familiar with the case. Safavi was arrested during protests in January and convicted on charges including "waging war against God" for alleged damage to public property, as well as propaganda against the establishment and collusion.

Safavi's legal team was reportedly denied access to the case file, and his defense was not fully presented. The trial is said to have been held in absentia, with Safavi currently detained at Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. This case emerges amidst escalating international condemnation of Iran's use of the death penalty against individuals connected to the recent wave of protests.

This development follows the recent public executions of Amirhossein Safari and Abolfazl Sepahi in Isfahan, also linked to the protests. Amnesty International has warned that dozens more individuals, including some who were minors at the time of their arrest, are at risk of execution. The human rights group has urged for urgent international intervention to prevent further state-sanctioned killings.

Iranian officials maintain that their legal actions are in accordance with national laws. However, critics argue that the death sentences and public executions are deliberate tactics employed by the regime to suppress opposition voices and quell widespread dissent following the unrest.