Iran upholds death sentences for three over November petrol protests

The Islamic republic's supreme court confirmed the sentences linked to the deadly protests

People stop their cars on a road in Tehran, Iran, on November 16, 2019, in protest against fuel price rises. Wana

Iran's judiciary said on Tuesday that a court had upheld death sentences for three people linked to deadly protests last November sparked by a rise in petrol prices.

The sentences were "confirmed by the supreme court after the defendants and their attorneys appealed," spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said, quoted by the judiciary's Mizan Online website.

Mr Esmaili did not name the defendants, but said two were arrested during an "armed robbery".

Evidence had been found on their phones of them setting alight banks, buses and public buildings in November, he said.

The demonstrations erupted on November 15 after authorities more than doubled fuel prices overnight, exacerbating economic hardships in the sanctions-hit country.

They rocked a handful of cities before spreading to at least 100 urban centres across the Islamic republic.

Petrol pumps were torched, police stations attacked and shops looted, before security forces stepped in amid a near-total internet ban.

"They had filmed it all audaciously, and sent [the footage] to some foreign news agencies," Mr Esmaili said in a video released by state television.

"They themselves had provided the best evidence."

Mr Esmaili said the final verdict could still change over "extraordinary proceedings", according to the video released by state TV.

He pointed to a legal clause that could trigger a retrial if deemed necessary by the chief justice.

Reformist Shargh newspaper on Saturday named the three as Amirhossein Moradi, 26, and working at a mobile phone retailer, Said Tamjidi, a 28-year-old student and Mohammad Rajabi, also 26.

Iran has blamed last year's violence on "thugs" backed by its foes the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

It pointed the finger at exiled royals and the People's Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK), an exiled former rebel group which it considers a "terrorist cult".

A senior Iranian legislator said in June that 230 were killed and thousands injured during the protests.

Authorities had for months refused to provide casualty figures, rejecting death tolls given by foreign media and human rights groups as "lies".

London-based rights group Amnesty International has put the number of deaths at 304, and a group of independent UN rights experts said in December that 400 including at least 12 children could have been killed, based on unconfirmed reports.

The United States has claimed that more than 1,000 were killed in the violence.

President Hassan Rouhani has continued to criticise protesters, citing recent economic troubles because of coronavirus a possible cause for renewed protests.

He said on Saturday that lockdowns meant to curb the spread of the pandemic could lead to street protests over economic problems, his website reported.

In a regular Cabinet meeting on the coronavirus, Mr Rouhani said the easiest way to fight the virus is to close off all activities. But "then people come and stage protests because of chaos, famine and problems", he said.

Mr Rouhani's remarks came as many experts urged a halt to business activities to prevent virus-related deaths that have exceeded 12,600 out of 255,117 confirmed cases.

Iranian officials have been particularly eager to remove restrictions on its economy, already crippled by sanctions the US imposed after the Trump administration's 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement.