Iran Executes Two Anti-Government Protesters

Iran’s judiciary has executed two men on charges related to anti-government protests that peaked in January. The hangings were carried out in a public square.

‘The death sentences of Abolfazl Sepahi and Amir-Hossein Safari were carried out this morning,’ the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported. Mehr news agency said the hangings took place in ‘a square in the city of Malekshahr’ in central Isfahan province, witnessed by a large crowd.

The two were convicted of ‘attacking police officers with machetes and knives, tying them to a road sign, dragging them on the ground, dousing them with petrol, and setting them on fire on 8 January,’ according to Mizan. They faced charges of ‘moharebeh (waging war against God) by brandishing weapons and creating fear and terror and corruption on earth by committing acts that severely disrupted public order and security in the country’.

The protests, which initially erupted in late December over the rising cost of living, quickly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations, peaking on 8 and 9 January. Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, attributing the violence to ‘terrorist acts’ orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Overseas-based human rights groups, however, stated that Iranian security forces opened fire on demonstrators.

Two other men were hanged on similar charges in Isfahan province on 19 July. According to Amnesty International, Iranian authorities carry out the second-highest number of executions in the world, after China.