Official tied to brutal protest crackdowns in 2022 appointed new governor of Tehran

Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, an Iranian government official tied to the deadly 2022 crackdown on protest, was appointed as the governor of Tehran on Sunday, according to semi-official Mehr News and Iran International.

Motamedian, who previously worked for Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, has been accused of overseeing mass arrests and allowing lethal force to be used during the protests in West Azerbaijan Province. 

In 2022, protests broke out in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody. The Iranian morality police are responsible for enforcing Iran's hijab law.

Demonstrators openly called for the overthrow of the Islamic regime, which had ruled Iran since 1979.

According to multiple human rights groups, including the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, 56 protesters died under Motamedian’s tenure as governor of West Azerbaijan. 

“Motamedian played a critical role in suppressing protests in Urmia, Mahabad, and other cities, where dozens of protesters were killed,” according to Justice for Iran, a human rights organization.

Iran International added that Motamedian’s appointment as governor is part of Iran’s President Pezeshkian’s strategy of placing controversial figures in high positions. 

Earlier this month, Pezeshkian appointed Hossein Ali Amiri, who is known for persecuting religious minorities, as the governor of Fars Province. 

According to Iran International, Amiri commandeered the arrest of 13 Jewish citizens of Shiraz in 1999, on charges of spying for Israel.