Mahsa Yazdani convicted of blasphemy and ‘insulting supreme leader’ as Iran regime targets families of those killed in protests
Mohammad Javad Zahedi with his mother, Mahsa Yazdani. She was jailed after calling for justice for her 20-year-old son, who was killed after being shot in protests last year.Mohammad Javad Zahedi with his mother, Mahsa Yazdani. She was jailed after calling for justice for her 20-year-old son, who was killed after being shot in protests last year.
Videos and photos of her son’s body riddled with shotgun pellets went viral on social media during the mass protests sparked by theAfter her son was killed, Yazdani publicly condemned the regime’s attacks on protesters and called for justice for her son and others killed in the demonstrations. Her trial and sentencing came very soon after she was arrested at her home on 22 August.
The sentencing comes as Iranian authorities appear to be actively pursuing the families of those killed during the protests. Yazdani’s sentencing is “another clear sign the authorities are placing relentless pressure upon the families of victims”, said Skylar Thompson, of the civil rights groupsource told the Guardian, the family has been subjected to ongoing raids and threats from the regime’s agents.
The Guardian spoke to several families of protesters killed or arrested in the 2022 hijab protests, who said that they feared further arrests and convictions as the regime attempts to silence families., a 16-year-old killed by the security forces in October 2022, said: “Mothers are being persecuted for seeking justice for their sons murdered by the regime. We are a nation that has paid by our blood for freedom.