LONDON: Iran must halt its executions of people sentenced to death for taking part in anti-government protests, Amnesty International has urged.
The human rights organization condemned the executions of two men — Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini — on Jan. 7, labeling their sentencing as “arbitrary.”
Others are also facing the same fate after being sentenced for their roles in nationwide demonstrations, which began in September last year, Amnesty warned.
Families of detained protesters are left unaware of the fate of relatives because authorities’ “persistent secrecy” surrounding the use of the death penalty means no advance notice of execution is provided.
Karami and Hosseini were sentenced to death on Dec. 5 last year in a trial that Amnesty described as a “grossly unfair sham.”
The sentence was delivered less than a week after the trial began, with the two men convicted over the death of a Basij paramilitary operative during a protest in early November.
Before the trial began, Iranian state media aired confessions by the two men allegedly obtained under torture, with Hosseini telling his lawyer that he was kicked and beaten with iron rods and until he confessed.
Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “It is abhorrent that the Iranian authorities persist in their state-sanctioned killing spree as they desperately seek to end the protests and cling to power by instilling fear among the public.
“The arbitrary executions of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, just days after their death sentences were upheld, reveal how the Iranian authorities continue to wield the death penalty as a weapon of repression, and serve as a chilling reminder that scores of others remain at risk of execution.
“It is crucial that the international community not only stands with the people in Iran but takes urgent action to hold the Iranian authorities to account.”
Eltahawy added: “States must exercise universal jurisdiction to criminally investigate all officials reasonably suspected of involvement in crimes under international law and other grave violations of human rights, and issue arrest warrants where there is sufficient evidence.”
Iran must halt protester executions: Amnesty International
https://arab.news/gj9d3
Iran must halt protester executions: Amnesty International
- ‘Grossly unfair sham trial’ ended with death sentence for 2 men on Jan. 7
- Families of detained protesters are left unaware of the fate of relatives because authorities’ “persistent secrecy”
Prabowo, Trump expected to sign Indonesia-US tariff deal in January 2026
- Deal will mean US tariffs on Indonesian products are cut from a threatened 32 percent to 19 percent
- Jakarta committed to scrap tariffs on more than 99 percent of US goods
JAKARTA: Indonesia expects to sign a tariff deal with the US in early 2026 after reaching an agreement on “all substantive issues,” Jakarta's chief negotiator said on Tuesday.
Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto met with US trade representative Jamieson Greer in Washington this week to finalize an Indonesia-US trade deal, following a series of discussions that took place after the two countries agreed on a framework for negotiations in July.
“All substantive issues laid out in the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade have been agreed upon by the two sides, including both the main and technical issues,” Hartarto said in an online briefing.
Officials from both countries are now working to set up a meeting between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump.
It will take place after Indonesian and US technical teams meet in the second week of January for a legal scrubbing, or a final clean-up of an agreement text.
“We are expecting that the upcoming technical process will wrap up in time as scheduled, so that at the end of January 2026 President Prabowo and President Trump can sign the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade,” Hartarto said.
Indonesian trade negotiators have been in “intensive” talks with their Washington counterparts since Trump threatened to levy a 32 percent duty on Indonesian exports.
Under the July framework, US tariffs on Indonesian imports were lowered to 19 percent, with Jakarta committing to measures to balance trade with Washington, including removing tariffs on more than 99 percent of American imports and scrapping all non-tariff barriers facing American companies.
Jakarta also pledged to import $15 billion worth of energy products and $4.5 billion worth of agricultural products such as soybeans, wheat and cotton, from the US.
“Indonesia will also get tariff exemptions on top Indonesian goods, such as palm oil, coffee, cocoa,” Hartarto said.
“This is certainly good news, especially for Indonesian industries directly impacted by the tariff policy, especially labor-intensive sectors that employ around 5 million workers.”
In the past decade, Indonesia has consistently posted trade surpluses with the US, its second-largest export market after China.
From January to October, data from the Indonesian trade ministry showed two-way trade valued at nearly $36.2 billion, with Jakarta posting a $14.9 billion surplus.
