Iran Goes No Mercy on Those Convicted in January Protests
The regime is sending a strong message: no mercy for the latest round of unrest. They want fast trials and full sentences to deter any further protests, especially amid the current tensions with Israel and the U.S.
Iran’s Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i has ordered that anyone convicted in the recent protests and riots will receive zero mercy.
In a clear and harsh statement, he instructed courts to:
This comes just days before the traditional mass pardons usually issued around the February 11 anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The regime is rattled. After January's protests, they’re making it explicit: no forgiveness, no early releases, and fast-track punishment. This is a regime that feels the pressure and is responding with maximum hardness to deter the next round. No softening, no pretense of reform, just pure crackdown.
The regime knows that the bazaars are planning a fresh wave of protests, scheduled for Februray 17-19. They believe that the best way to prevent these protests is by scaring the public into silence. They now have precdent for this behavior - what stopped the January crackdown was the shocking crackdown in which tens of thousands of Iranians were murdered, while others were injured and blinded.