"The legal proceedings and (death) sentence against Salehi, 33, are a cruel and outrageous assault on fundamental freedoms and the right to a fair trial," Human Rights Watch
@hrw said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because it is inherently cruel and irreversible. Since the crackdown against protests, Iran’s judicial authorities have drastically increased the use of vaguely defined national security charges against protesters that carry the death penalty, including for destroying public property," it added.