Iran executes two more people in connection with protests

Iran has executed two additional people in connection with the protests that have been ongoing in the country for months, bringing the total to at least four. 

Iran’s Mizan news agency, which the country’s judiciary runs, reported that Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were hanged on Saturday for allegedly killing a member of Iran’s security forces during a demonstration in Karaj on Nov. 3.

Protests have rocked Iran for months since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the country’s morality police in September. Amini was detained by the morality police over allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. 

Iranian officials said Amini suffered a heart attack before her death, but her family and much of the international community have rejected his explanation, and eyewitnesses said she was brutally beaten in custody. 

Protesters have taken to the streets in many major cities across the country, and some women have burned their hijabs or cut their hair in protest. Some protesters have also called for an end to the Iranian regime. 

Two protesters were executed last month over their alleged actions during the protests. One was accused of wounding a member of the country’s security forces with a machete and the other was accused of killing two members of the forces.

Mizan reported that the two men executed on Saturday had confessed to their alleged role in the crime. Human rights groups, however, have said the confessions were forced and condemned the proceedings.

Iran’s justice system has received international criticism for its treatment of those accused of crimes. Amnesty International reported that thousands of people are regularly arbitrarily detained and unfairly prosecuted for exercising their human rights in the country, and the death penalty is widely used following unfair trials.