Iran is one of the countries that still widely uses the death penalty. This issue has always been accompanied by protests from human rights organizations. The important question is whether media pressure, including traditional and international media, as well as activism on social networks and launching hashtag campaigns, can be effective in stopping or canceling a death sentence for an individual in the Islamic Republic of Iran?

The transformation of protest campaigns, from traditional media to hashtags on social media.

Activities and campaigns against executions in Iran have undergone fundamental changes over time. In the past (before the spread of social networks), efforts were mainly made through human rights organizations, international media, and diplomatic pressures. For example, in 1385 (2006), the stoning sentence of “Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani” for the charge of adultery was issued, but with extensive coverage by international media and international protests, the execution was initially halted and then reduced to 10 years in prison. This example showed that the pressure of global public opinion and media can force the Islamic Republic to retreat. In 1385-1386 (2006-2007), a global campaign was formed to save “Nazanin Fatehi” (a teenage girl sentenced to death for defending herself against rape). The online campaign “Save Nazanin” gathered over 350,000 signatures from around the world and ultimately saved Nazanin from execution in 1386 (2007

With the emergence of social networks and the expansion of the internet in the 1390s, the nature of campaigns changed. Now, protesting against executions can be done spontaneously and extensively through virtual space, reflecting the voices of citizens inside Iran directly. For example, in the case of “Reyhaneh Jabbari” (executed for murder in 1393), in addition to official human rights efforts, an online wave was formed in her defense, although this collective support could not prevent her execution, it drew the attention of the global public to the issue. Judicial authorities claimed after Reyhaneh’s execution that the “Western media and political campaigns” were the cause of the failure to obtain the consent of the victim’s family and, as a result, the execution was carried out. They tried to portray that the highlighting of the case in foreign media caused stubbornness and prevented the victim’s family from forgiving.

However, in the age of social media, the nature of campaigns has changed and their scope has become much wider and more pervasive. Now it is not just foreign governments or international organizations that exert pressure, but millions of ordinary citizens can quickly make their voices heard against death sentences and bring them to the attention of the public.

July 2020, the hashtag campaign #DoNotExecute.

One of the most prominent examples of the impact of social media on execution cases is the #StopExecutions campaign in the summer of 1399 (2020). The story was that three detained youths from the November 1398 protests, named “Amir Hossein Moradi”, “Saeed Tamjidi”, and “Mohammad Rajabi”, were faced with a confirmed death sentence in the Supreme Court in July. As soon as the news of the confirmation of the sentences was released, a wave of protests erupted on social media, with Iranian users on Twitter (at the time), Instagram, and Telegram demanding the cancellation of these sentences with the hashtag #StopExecutions. This hashtag first became a trend in the Persian virtual space on July 14, 2020, and quickly spread globally. In less than two days, over 10 million tweets were published with this hashtag, and it was viewed approximately 6 billion times. This campaign was one of the largest virtual protest movements

Could this unprecedented wave have produced results in the judicial process?

On July 16, 2020, conflicting reports were published about the suspension of the execution of three protesters. Initially, Fars News Agency claimed that Ebrahim Raisi (then head of the judiciary) had ordered a retrial, but this was denied by the official media of the judiciary (Mizan). However, the lawyers of the defendants announced that they had gained access to the case and had filed a request for a review of the sentence under Article 477 of the Criminal Procedure Code. A few days later, on July 20, 2020, the judiciary officially announced that the request for a retrial had been accepted and the case had been referred to the Supreme Court for further review, thus halting the execution until a final decision was made. Finally, in December of the same year, the lawyer of the case announced that the Supreme Court had overturned the death sentence for these three individuals and the case would be sent back to a lower court for a new trial

The #DoNotExecute campaign, in addition to its practical effects, also had widespread domestic and international repercussions. Many prominent figures in the fields of science, art, and sports within the country joined this wave and openly expressed their opposition to executions despite the limitations. Amnesty International directly addressed the leader of the Islamic Republic, demanding the immediate cancellation of these sentences and reminding them of the injustice in the trials and allegations of torture (including beatings and electric shocks). In terms of international repercussions, this campaign also caught the attention of foreign political figures, including Donald Trump (former President of the United States), who tweeted in Farsi in support of the hashtag #DoNotExecute and wrote: “Three people in Iran have been sentenced to death for participating in protests. These three should not be executed.” Farah Pahlavi (former Queen of Iran) also issued a message to the judges of the Islamic Republic, saying: “Do not execute these children” and warned that issuing these unjust sentences will only

On the other hand, the reaction of the officials of the Islamic Republic was a combination of acceptance and resistance. On one hand, Ali Rabiei, the spokesperson of the former government (twelfth government), described the #DoNotExecute campaign as a manifestation of “citizens’ civil efforts to be heard” in a note and demanded that the rulers listen to the voice of the people and respect the natural desire of the public. These statements were a cautious accompaniment of the government with a social demand. However, Rabiei also referred to the reactions of foreign officials (such as Trump’s tweet) as “aggressive propaganda” and stated that some of the voices in this campaign are “fake and directed by the enemy’s propaganda machine.” Additionally, Gholamhossein Esmaeili (the spokesperson of the judiciary at the time) sharply stated that in this recent atmosphere, elements of the anti-revolution and imperialist media were active, which have no credibility for us, and

Other examples of execution campaigns in recent years.

Investigations into recent cases have shown that media and virtual campaigns have sometimes been successful in saving condemned individuals’ lives, and sometimes not. After the influential “Don’t Execute” campaign, the name “Navid Afkari” became synonymous with execution. He, who was a wrestler and one of the protesters of the August 2018 protests in Shiraz, was sentenced to death on charges of murder. A new wave emerged on social media with hashtags such as #DontKillNavid and #SaveNavidAfkari. During the last days of August and early September 2020, the hashtag #SaveNavidAfkari became the number one trend in Iran and more than 500,000 tweets were published about it. The sudden execution of Navid, which according to many was done hastily and without prior notice, sent a clear message from the government: “Even global pressure and support from famous individuals will not force us to back down.” Many believe that the

This trend continued during the 1401 protests as well. The judicial power issued execution orders at a rapid pace to suppress the protests. The Iranian civil society once again turned to social media to prevent a tragedy. Hashtags such as #DoNotExecute and their English equivalents trended on Persian and even international Twitter. The hasty and ruthless executions of Mohsen Sharari and Majid Rezai (in Azar 1401) sparked a wave of global anger and condemnation. The execution of protesters from the Mehssa (Zhina) movement faced widespread condemnation, including from Pope Francis and European authorities. Amnesty International warned that dozens more were at risk of execution. Inside Iran, families gathered in front of prisons in protest, demanding the release of their loved ones. Although in Dey 1401, two more protesters named Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were executed, and in Ordibehesht 1402, three more protesters named Saleh Mirhash

Inhibitory hashtags.

In the past decade, along with the increase in virtual and street protests and subsequent increase in arrests, media and social networks have been able to play a significant role in halting or delaying executions in Iran. The activity of civil society on social media has made it clear that even if they are not always successful in overturning the sentence, they have a significant impact on the progress of cases by creating waves of protests, increasing the political cost for the government, and attracting international attention. Virtual protests, which have emerged from within society and bypass censorship, have become a powerful deterrent tool against executions.