Iran Executes Activist Korkor Amid Widespread Condemnation

Iranian authorities have executed Mujahid Korkor, a young activist accused of participating in the 2022 “Women, Life, Freedom” protests, prompting strong condemnation from human rights groups and international observers.

 Korkor, who was arrested in December 2022 following a raid in his village near Izeh in Khuzestan province, was sentenced to death in April 2023 by a revolutionary court in Ahvaz. The charges against him included “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God,” both commonly used in Iran to prosecute individuals involved in political dissent. Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the sentence in January 2024.

 On June 10, local media reported that Korkor’s family had been called in for a final visit before his execution. No official announcement has been issued by the Iranian judiciary.

 The case drew additional controversy due to Korkor’s alleged involvement in the death of 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, who was killed during anti-government protests in Izeh. However, Pirfalak’s family has publicly rejected the official narrative, stating that their son was killed by gunfire from Iranian security forces—not by protesters. Human rights groups argue that this critical contradiction casts serious doubt on the legitimacy of the charges brought against Korkor.

Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) described the execution as a grave violation of human rights and a clear attempt to silence dissent.

“This is not justice—it is retaliation,” said Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and head of WJWC. “By executing Mujahid Korkor, the Iranian authorities are using the death penalty as a tool of intimidation against all who dare to speak out.”

According to human rights monitors, Korkor is the eleventh protester to be executed in connection with the 2022 uprising, which erupted nationwide after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Many of those executed were convicted in trials widely condemned for lacking transparency, impartiality, and adherence to international standards of due process.

WJWC stressed that the right to peaceful protest is protected under international law and condemned what it described as a campaign of repression by the Iranian state, which includes mass arrests, harsh sentencing, and the use of capital punishment against political detainees.

“The judiciary in Iran has become a mechanism for political punishment,” Karman said. “Instead of delivering justice, it facilitates injustice.”

The organization called on the international community, including the United Nations, regional organizations, and individual governments, to increase pressure on Tehran to halt executions, release political prisoners, and investigate human rights violations committed during the 2022 protests.

WJWC issued four key demands:

·         An immediate moratorium on executions of political prisoners in Iran.

·         The unconditional release of all detainees held for exercising their rights to expression and peaceful assembly.

·         Independent investigations into the killings of protesters and violations by Iranian security forces.

·         Stronger international action to hold Iranian officials accountable for systematic human rights abuses.

Korkor’s execution has renewed global concerns over Iran’s continued use of the death penalty to suppress political dissent. As calls for accountability grow, human rights advocates warn that failure to act will only embolden further violations.