Iran executes another prisoner detained during nationwide protests

Demonstrators chant slogans while marching during the “March of Solidarity for Iran” in Washington, DC, on October 15, 2022. (AFP/File)
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Updated 23 January 2024
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Iran executes another prisoner detained during nationwide protests

DUBAI: Iran on Tuesday hanged another prisoner over crimes committed during nationwide protests that erupted in 2022 following the death of a young woman detained for improperly wearing her headscarf.

According to a report on state television, Mohammad Qobadlu was executed after being sentenced for killing a policeman and injuring five others after he ran them over in his car during a rally in the town of Parand, near the capital of Tehran.

The TV report said the 23-year-old Qobadlu, who had confessed to his crime, had access to a lawyer during the trial. Qobadly had appealed his death sentence, handed down by a lower court, but the Supreme Court later upheld the original verdict.

Qobadlu’s execution was the ninth reported by the authorities since the protests started in the fall of 2022, according to a count by The Associated Press.

The monthslong unrest followed the Sept. 16, 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by Iran’s morality police allegedly because she improperly wore the mandatory Islamic veil, or hijab.

At least 529 people have been killed and scores of thousands of others have been detained in the demonstrations. 


Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to open next week, Palestinian official says

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Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to open next week, Palestinian official says

  • Palestinian technocrat leader backed by Washington to administer the enclave makes announcement
DAVOS: Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt will reopen next week after largely being shut during the Israel-Hamas war, the Palestinian technocrat leader backed by Washington to administer the enclave announced on Thursday.
Ali Shaath made the announcement by video link during an event in Davos hosted ‌by President ‌Donald Trump, who ‌convened ⁠a group of ‌leaders to formally launch a “Board of Peace” initially focused on cementing Gaza’s ceasefire.
A key unfulfilled element of the ceasefire, brokered by Trump in October, has been the reopening of Gaza’s main ⁠gateway to the world to allow the entry ‌and exit of Palestinians.
“I ‍am pleased ‍to announce the Rafah crossing will ‍open next week in both directions. For Palestinians in Gaza, Rafah is more than a gate. It is a lifeline and symbol of opportunity,” Shaath said.
“Opening Rafah signals that Gaza is no ⁠longer closed to the future and to the war,” Shaath said.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has controlled the Rafah crossing since 2024.
The ceasefire deal left Israel in control of more than half of Gaza, including the area that abuts the border crossing. Hamas controls the remainder ‌of the enclave.