The end of a flourishing demonstration: Milad Zohrevand executed in Malayer

Milad Zohrevand was a young inspiring demonstrator, who went to the street in order to partake in the antigovernment protests that unfolded in Iran, following the brutal killing of Jhina (Mahsa) Amini.

In the wake of his participation, however, he was arrested and subsequently incarcerated. Now the sad news of his execution in the notorious Malayer prison was disseminated. In fact, the human rights organization Hengav confirmed this terrible incident and revealed that the execution was carried out in secret.

Zohrevand was convicted in connection with the death of Ali Nazari, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence officer, during the unrest. Hamedan Center Prosecutor Hasan Khanjani announced on November 12 that the death sentence was approved by the Supreme Court and sent to the General Judiciary of Hamedan Province for execution.

The 20-year-old Malayer citizen was arrested on November 4th, 2022. The Tasnim news agency reported last November on the death of Ali Nazari during the “pursuit and escape of demonstrators”. This account was taken up by the Ansar al-Hussein army in Hamadan province. Interestingly, government institutions have not yet released a video documenting the death of the IRGC member, leading to significant ambiguity in this case.

Malayer Public Prosecutor Mohammad Rahimi announced on October 24 the identification of all four defendants, however, on October 25 the political and social deputy of the Malayer Special Governorate announced the identification of seven people and the arrest of six people in connection with Ali’s assassination Nazari known. Rahimi added that one of the attackers managed to escape the scene.

On October 25, Ali Nazari, an intelligence officer with the Malaysian Revolutionary Guards, was killed. The publicity department of the Ansar Al-Hossein Hamadan Corps reported five arrests, while the Hamadan Corps commander later reported only one arrest and announced six more in the following days.

The different depictions of Nazari’s death are also confusing. The deputy governor of Malayer reported an attack by “masked people”, while the prosecutor of Malair claims that Nazari died of serious injuries after being taken to hospital.

Iran has executed at least seven protesters since the 2022 nationwide uprising. The recent revelation about the execution of Milad Zahravand brings the number of protesters executed to eight, further increasing concerns about the human rights situation in Iran.