This Man Was Not Executed For Criticizing the Iranian President

Misbar investigated the circulating image and found the claim to be misleading. 

The Image is From a 2007 Execution In Tehran

Misbar's team found that the photograph dates back to 2007 and depicts Majid Kavousifar, who, along with his nephew, was executed for murdering a judge. 

A BBC report from August 2007, featuring a photo of the same man, confirmed that Majid and Hossein Kavousifar were publicly hanged in Tehran after their conviction for the judge's murder.

In August 2007, Reuters released several photos of the execution on its photo platform, titled "Hanging of Judge's Killers in Tehran - 02 Aug 2007." Among these images, some depicted the same man from the viral photo with a blue noose around his neck. One photo was captioned: "Majid Kavousifar waves to the crowd before his execution by hanging in Tehran on August 2, 2007. Iran hanged Majid and Hossein Kavousifar, the killers of a judge who had jailed several reformist dissidents, in front of hundreds of spectators on Thursday."

None of these reports made mention of Majid's daughter witnessing the hanging. However, on the Reuters Pictures website, a photograph of the girl was discovered, affirming her presence during the Kavousifars' execution.

It is noteworthy that the execution took place in 2007, during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran, rather than during the tenure of Ebrahim Raisi, who passed away on May 19, 2024.

Funeral Held For Iran's Late President, Ebrahim Raisi

Iran's recently deceased President, Ebrahim Raisi, was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad, four days after succumbing to a fatal helicopter crash. The 63-year-old conservative religious leader was interred in the sacred precincts of the Imam Reza shrine, a revered site in Shia Islam.

Television broadcasts depicted throngs of mourners congregating along the main thoroughfares of the northeastern city in anticipation of the funeral rites. The solemn ceremony paid homage to Raisi's legacy and his contributions to the nation. The tragic crash claimed the lives of seven other individuals amid adverse weather conditions in Iran's mountainous north-west. Among the casualties was Raisi's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, aged 60, who was laid to rest on Thursday at the Shah Abdol-Azim shrine in Rey, a suburb south of Tehran.

Acting President Mohammad Mokhber, tasked with governing until the upcoming election scheduled for June 28, was in attendance to oversee the preparations for Amir-Abdollahian's burial, offering condolences and support to the grieving families amidst the nation's collective mourning.

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