President Trump on Wednesday called on Iran to halt the impending executions of three men who were detained last year for participating in anti-government protests.
“Three individuals were sentenced to death in Iran for participating in protests. The execution is expected momentarily,” the president posted on Twitter.
“Executing these three people sends a terrible signal to the world and should not be done!,” he pleaded, linking to “#StopExecutionsInIran.”
The hashtag link identified the three men as Saeid Tamjidi, Mohammad Rajabi and Amirhossein Maradi, who were arrested in November 2019 and tortured to make confessions while they were detained.
The State Department last month condemned Iran’s decision to sentence the men to death.
“These protesters were reportedly beaten, denied lawyers, and coerced into false confessions. Iran must respect human rights and stop these executions,” spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus wrote in a tweet.
Her post came a day after Iranian media reported that the Supreme Court of Iran upheld their death sentences handed down by the Revolutionary Court.
A number of hashtags were started — in English and Farsi — urging Iran to end the execution of prisoners.
Amnesty International in a tweet sent Tuesday urged Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to intercede on their behalf.
“Their trial was unfair & they said they were subjected to torture through beatings, electric shocks and being hung upside down,” it said in the message.