Iran’s judiciary head says those behind recent anti-government protests will face punishment “without the slightest leniency” as death toll figures are disputed
PARIS: The head of Iran’s judiciary warned that those behind a recent wave of anti-government protests could expect punishment “without the slightest leniency”.
Judicial chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said the people demand the accused instigators be tried quickly and punished if found guilty.
He insisted “the greatest rigour must be applied in the investigations” against those who took up arms, killed people, or committed arson.
The protests began this month as demonstrations against the high cost of living before boiling over into a broader movement.
It represented the gravest challenge to the Islamic republic’s clerical leadership in years before abating following a government crackdown.
The crackdown was carried out under an internet blackout that left the country largely cut off from the outside world.
The Iranian government has put the death toll from the protests at 3,117 people.
It labelled 2,427 of the dead as “martyrs”, a term used for security forces and innocent bystanders.
Authorities describe others killed as “rioters” incited by the US and Israel.
Rights groups say protesters account for the vast majority of the deaths, documenting several thousand killed.
The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said the final figure could top 25,000 dead.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said more than 26,000 people have been arrested in relation to the demonstrations.
Iran is the world’s second most prolific user of the death penalty after China.
The soaring number of arrests and vows of stiff punishment have raised fears it could use executions to repress dissent.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene militarily should Iran begin putting protest suspects to death.
He recently softened his rhetoric after claiming Tehran had suspended planned executions.
Trump told reporters the United States was nonetheless sending a “massive fleet” toward Iran “just in case”.
The United States carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June when it briefly joined Israel’s war against the Islamic republic.
Rights groups have accused authorities of repeatedly using live ammunition on protesters.
Colonel Mehdi Sharif Kazemi, commander of Iran’s special police, maintained authorities used only non-lethal measures.
“The use of weapons (by the police) during this operation has sparked some criticism, but in fact, the police did not resort to using any firearms,” he said.
“We used non-lethal means in order to guarantee the safety of the population and avoid any killings.”