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Iran’s Revolutionary Court has sentenced one anti-government protester to death and jailed five others amid ongoing unrest in the country, state media said on Sunday.
The ruling could mark the first death sentence for people arrested for taking part in the protests that have swept Iran over the past few weeks, calling for an end to civilian rule.
Mizan, a news site linked to the Iranian judiciary, said protesters were sentenced to death after being charged with setting fire to government buildings. The five sentences, ranging from five to ten years, are suspected of violating national security and public order.
Mizan said the independent branch of the Revolutionary Court issued the verdict but did not share more details on the protesters who were on trial, who could appeal the verdict.
The court was established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and is known for imposing harsh penalties on those who opposed Iran’s civilian rulers.
Iran has indicted hundreds of detained protesters, saying they will be tried in public.
Anti-government demonstrations, in their eighth week, were sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained on suspicion of violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Judicial authorities have announced charges against hundreds of people in other Iranian provinces. Some have been charged with “corruption on earth” and “fighting against God,” crimes punishable by death.
Security forces, including paramilitary volunteers from the Revolutionary Guard, violently cracked down on the demonstrations, killing more than 300 people, including dozens of children, according to the Oslo-based Iranian human rights group. Iranian authorities said more than 40 security forces were also killed in unrest across the country.
Although the protests initially focused on ending Iran’s mandatory hijab, or hijab, they have turned into one of the biggest challenges facing the ruling cleric since the chaotic years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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