Iran has executed three men accused of killing police officers during anti-government protests in January, state media say, the first hangings to be carried out in relation to the demonstrations. Among the men was teenager Saleh Mohammadi, a member of Iran's national wrestling team, sources have told CBS, the BBC's US partner.
The executions took place on Thursday morning local time in the northern Qom province after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported. The nationwide protests, which began in December and escalated in January, were met with a violent crackdown by the Iranian authorities. Rights groups say thousands of people were killed.
Tasnim, a semi-official news agency associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi were found guilty of killing two police officers in separate attacks in Qom. They were also convicted of 'moharebeh' - waging war against God - a charge that Iran uses to issue death sentences for protesters and opponents of the Islamic Republic.
According to rights groups, the three men had confessed under torture and were executed without a fair trial. Their deaths came just a day after Iran executed a dual Iranian-Swedish national, Kouroush Keyvani, who was found guilty of spying for Israel, highlighting the country's increasing use of the death penalty in politically charged cases.
The protests, spread across 180 cities and towns, were sparked by economic grievances, including the collapse of the Iranian currency and soaring costs of living, but quickly evolved into widespread demands for political change, posing one of the most significant challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Activists report that the ongoing crackdown has resulted in at least 7,000 deaths, including 6,488 protesters and 236 children, and the internet shutdown in recent months has made it increasingly difficult to ascertain the scale of the government’s violent response.
The executions took place on Thursday morning local time in the northern Qom province after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported. The nationwide protests, which began in December and escalated in January, were met with a violent crackdown by the Iranian authorities. Rights groups say thousands of people were killed.
Tasnim, a semi-official news agency associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi were found guilty of killing two police officers in separate attacks in Qom. They were also convicted of 'moharebeh' - waging war against God - a charge that Iran uses to issue death sentences for protesters and opponents of the Islamic Republic.
According to rights groups, the three men had confessed under torture and were executed without a fair trial. Their deaths came just a day after Iran executed a dual Iranian-Swedish national, Kouroush Keyvani, who was found guilty of spying for Israel, highlighting the country's increasing use of the death penalty in politically charged cases.
The protests, spread across 180 cities and towns, were sparked by economic grievances, including the collapse of the Iranian currency and soaring costs of living, but quickly evolved into widespread demands for political change, posing one of the most significant challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Activists report that the ongoing crackdown has resulted in at least 7,000 deaths, including 6,488 protesters and 236 children, and the internet shutdown in recent months has made it increasingly difficult to ascertain the scale of the government’s violent response.
