Iran hangs two men accused of killing security agent during protests over Mahsa Amini death, UN appalled
- Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini were executed for allegedly killing a member of the Basij paramilitary force militia during a protest
- Amnesty International said Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others in ‘sham trials designed to intimidate protesters’
Iran hanged two men on Saturday for allegedly killing a member of the security forces during nationwide protests that followed the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini on September 16.
The two men executed on Saturday had been convicted of killing a member of the Basij paramilitary force militia. Three others have been sentenced to death in the same case, while 11 received prison sentences.
“Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, principle perpetrators of the crime that led to the unjust martyrdom of Ruhollah Ajamian were hanged this morning,” the judiciary said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.
The latest executions bring to four the number of protesters officially known to have been executed in the aftermath of the unrest.
Amnesty International said last month that Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 26 others in what it called “sham trials designed to intimidate protesters in the popular uprising that has rocked the country”.
It said all of those facing death sentences had been denied the right to adequate defence and access to lawyers of their choosing. Rights groups say defendants have instead had to rely on state-appointed lawyers who do little to defend them.