Iran has hanged a man in public who had been convicted of killing two members of security forces, the second execution linked to anti-government protests in less than a week.
The execution of Majidreza Rahnavard on December 12, reported by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, came after a revolutionary court in Mashahd convicted him of “waging war against God,” a charge which punishable by death, for allegedly murdering two members of the notorious Basij paramilitary militia with a knife during protests in November.
Iran’s revolutionary courts have been internationally criticized for not allowing those on trial to pick their own lawyers or even see the evidence against them.
Mashhad, a Shi’ite holy city, is located some 740 kilometers east of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Activists say it has seen strikes, shops closed, and demonstrations amid the unrest sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
On December 8, Iran carried out its first execution of a protester from the unrest, hanging Moshen Shekari after his appeal of his sentence was rejected by Iran’s Supreme Court.
Shekari was accused of “warfare” for allegedly wounding a security officer.
Activists warn that at least a dozen people already have been sentenced to death in closed-door hearings.
Thousands of Iranians took to the streets nationwide since Amini died while in police custody in September. She was being held for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly.
The government has launched a brutal, and often deadly, crackdown on demonstrators, while lawmakers have pushed for harsh punishments to try and quell what has become the biggest challenge to the country’s leadership since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
The activist HRANA news agency said that, as of November 29, at least 459 protesters have been killed during the unrest, including 64 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.
The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization says the number of executions in Iran exceeded 500 this year.
Rights groups and Western governments have warned Tehran over issuing death sentences to protesters after hasty trials that some have called “sham” justice.
With reporting by Reuters and AP
