November 2019 Protester Abbas Deris Receives Death Penalty

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Branch One of the Mahshahr Revolutionary Court has sentenced November 2019 protester, Abbas Deris to death on charges of moharebeh (enmity against god). His brother and co-defendent, Mohsen Deris was acquitted of the moharebeh charges by the court.

Their lawyer, Fereshteh Tabanian broke the news on Twitter, stating that she would be appealing Abbas Deris’ death sentence and was hopeful that it would overturned by the Supreme Court. She told Iran Human Rights: “It’s a preliminary decision and we are filing an appeal to the Supreme Court.”

In September 2021, authorities falsely told the Deris family that Abbas had been sentenced to death and Mohsen to life imprisonment. “This lie caused Abbas’s wife to have a stroke and pass away,” an informed source told Iran Human Rights.

49-year-old Abbas Deris is a father of three children who was arrested along with his 29-year-old brother, Mohsen Deris in the Mahshahr canebrake crackdown during the November 2019 nationwide protests. They were initially charged with “moharebeh (enmity against god), disrupting public order and participating in the murder of a special unit officer.” According to Ms Tabanian, a case has been opened against Mohsen for murder charges by the Criminal Court.

The Mahshahr canebrake crackdown which took place in November 2019, is considered one of the most bloody crackdowns in the Islamic Republic. According to eyewitnesses, security forces opened fire at the unarmed protesters who had blocked the street in Chamran (Jarahi), northern Mahshahr, killing many people. When protesters ran towards the canebrake next to the street to take cover, security forces fired heavy artillery and set parts of the canebrake on fire, killing more people. An eyewitness told Iran Human Rights: “At least 20 people were killed on the street and 40 killed in the canebrake.”