Who Is Bita Hemmati? Iran Set To Execute The First Woman Over Widespread Anti-Regime Protests Following Deadly Unrest Crackdown

Iran is under the spotlight once again after it was reported that the government is ready to execute a woman called Bita Hemmati because the woman is said to have participated in anti government protests earlier this year. Provided, she would be the first woman to be executed in relation to the most recent wave of protests that broke out throughout the country. The rebellion, which had started at the end of December with strikes by shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran, soon extended to nationwide demonstrations in January, attracting students and many other social strata in a widespread demonstration against the government.

Who Is Bita Hemmati? Iran Set To Execute The First Woman Over Widespread Anti-Regime Protests Following Deadly Unrest Crackdown

On the allegations fronted against Hemmati, it has been reported that the opposition groups have accused him of various crimes, including going to protest meetings, interfering with national security and even allegedly using weapons and projectiles to break demonstrations. The Iranian authorities have also accused her of engaging in activities that are termed as colluding with the enemy forces. Nevertheless, the human rights groups and activists have expressed significant issues regarding the fairness of the legal process and have accused that the trial was carried out in haste and without due process, a case that has often been heard in other high profile cases.

Is Bita Hemmati Alone Getting Executed?

The case of Hemmati is not alone. Her husband, Mohammadreza Majid Asl and two other people, Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninezhad have also been sentenced to death in relation to the same case. Amir Hemmati, another relative, has been sentenced to almost six years in prison on the accusation of assembling and plotting against national security, and propaganda against the regime. The arrests had been allegedly carried out in Tehran which became a center of the protests and the following crackdown of the security forces.

Iran Anti-Regime Protests 

The greater context shows a great increase in the reaction of Iran to dissent. The rights groups have estimated that hundreds, or even more than a thousand people, have been punished ruthlessly, including death penalties, after the protests. The United Nations and leaders of the international organizations have called on the United Nations and global leaders to step in and stop executions, especially of the individuals who were arrested during the unrest. Although the world was becoming increasingly worried, no official date of execution has been declared yet, leaving Hemmati in the dark as tensions keep rising and demands of accountability keep increasing.

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