Iran declares protesters ‘enemies of Allah’, warns of death penalty

The country’s ruling Islamist government has declared Iran’s protesters ‘enemies of Allah’. At the same time, it has also warned that those who actively participate in the protests will be punished with the death penalty. A statement issued by the office of Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad on Saturday (January 10) said, “In accordance with Article 186 of the Constitution, the Islamic Republic of Iran declares protesters ‘Mohreb’ (enemies of Allah). The punishment for ‘Mohreb’ is the death penalty.”
Article 186 of the Iranian Constitution states that if a group or organization takes an armed stand against the Islamic Republic, all members of that group or organization are declared Mohreb or enemies of Allah. The only punishment for enemies of Allah in the Iranian Constitution is the death penalty. Large-scale anti-government protests have been taking place in Iran for the past two weeks. The scale of the protests is getting more intense as the days go by.
The main reason for this movement is the economy. Due to years of devaluation, Iran’s currency, the Iranian rial, is the weakest currency in the world. Currently, the Iranian rial is worth 994,055 to the dollar. That is, 994,055 Iranian rials are now available in Iran for one dollar. As a result of this crisis in the national currency, Iran has been facing severe inflation for a long time. The general public of Iran is struggling to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, housing, and medical care.
In this situation, on December 28, wholesale and retail traders in various markets in the capital Tehran called for a strike to protest inflation and the rising cost of living. The strike began with that protest. Within a few days, protests spread like wildfire to almost all cities and villages in Iran’s 31 provinces, and the intensity of the protests increased day by day. Currently, the protesters have practically brought the entire country to a standstill.
Iran’s ruling Islamist government has also continued to crack down on the protests. Security forces have been deployed in almost every city in the country, including the capital. The government has cut off the country’s internet and mobile phone connections and deployed police and security forces, as well as the army and the elite Islamic Republican Guard Corps (IRGC). Several protesters were reported killed in clashes with the army and IRGC last night.