Iran executes 1st protester sentenced to death as regime intensifies crackdown on dissidents

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

51% :There were only 74 days between Shakari's arrest and execution, which the lawyer said was an extremely short period of time in comparison with similar trials in the past.
47% : LONDON -- The Islamic Republic of Iran has carried out what is believed to be their first execution of an individual for taking part in the protests that have gripped the country in recent months.
45% : State Department Spokesperson Ned Price warned Iran on Wednesday against issuing death sentences for anti-government protesters, saying the Iranian regime should know the world is watching.
37% : Mashregh News Agency, which is linked to the state military bodies of Iran, published a confession video of Shekari, apparently under duress, as he appears to be suffering from facial injuries.
36% : The man, Mohsen Shekari, was arrested on Sept. 25 and sentenced to death for closing a street in Tehran and injuring a policeman with a knife.
33% : Shekari was convicted of moharebeh, a severe crime in Iran under Sharia law that means "waging war against God."
30% :A lawyer in Iran, who could not be identified due to security concerns, told ABC News the judicial process behind Shekari's trial and execution "was not transparent and not normal at all.""Crimes that are punishable by death, such as 'moharebeh,' must have a lawyer in the case," the lawyer said.
27% : Such confessions are known as "forced confessions" by Iran experts and activists and have often been used in connection with dissidents in Iran, prompting widespread criticism from international human rights bodies.

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