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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Iran | 8th Protester Executed; Milad Zohrevand Secretly Executed in Hamedan

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 24, 2023: Milad Zohrevand, a Malayer protester arrested during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” nationwide protests, was secretly executed for murder charges in Hamedan Central Prison. At least 684 people have been executed in Iran in 2023. Executions have surged since the start of the war in Gaza, with at least 152 executed by the Islamic Republic since 7 October 2023.

IHRNGO condemns Milad Zohrevand’s execution in the strongest terms and urges an appropriate response by the international community.

Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Like the execution of other protesters, Milad Zohrevand’s execution without due process or a fair trial is a criminal act and Islamic Republic authorities must be held accountable for this crime. Protester executions weren’t carried out in the last months due to the strong international backlash and high political cost. The international community’s relative silence to the extraordinary wave of executions over the past months has prompted the Islamic Republic to resume protester executions.”

IHRNGO is gravely concerned for the lives of the dozens of protesters currently on death row or awaiting death penalty sentences in Iranian prisons. It reiterates that an inadequate reaction to Milad’s execution will lead to more protester hangings.

According to BBC Persian, Milad Zohrevand was secretly executed in Hamedan Central Prison on 22 November. Milad was a 20-year-old Malayer protester arrested on 27 October 2022, the 40 day anniversary of Jina (Mahsa) Amini’s death which sparked protests across Iran.

State media alleged that Milad Zohrevand had killed an IRGC officer named Ali Nazari that day. He was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. On 15 November, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported that Milad’s sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court.

He was denied the right to due process and fair trial rights. Milad’s execution was carried out secretly, denying him the right to say goodbye to his family.

Executions are currently at their highest rate since 2015. At least 684 people have been executed in 2023, with 152 executed since 7 October, the start of the war in Gaza.

Milad Zohrevand is the eighth “Woman, Life, Freedom” protester executed. Mohsen Shekari, Majidreza Rahnavard, Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Saleh Mirhashemi, Saeed Yaghoubi and Majid Kazemi have all been executed since December 2022.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, November 24, 2023


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Location: Hamedan, Hamadan Province, Iran
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