Two men hanged after being convicted of killing member of the paramilitary Basij force during continuing protests sparked by the death in custody of Hadis Najafi last year.
Two men have been hanged in Iran after being convicted of killing a member of the paramilitary Basij force during protests to mark the 40th day since the death of a protester Hadis Najafi last year.
Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were executed in the early hours of Saturday, days after the country’s Supreme Court confirmed their sentences for “corruption on Earth”, according to the official news outlet of the judiciary.Karami and Hosseini were accused of killing Ruhollah Ajamian on November 3 when large protests took place in the city of Karaj near Tehran.
Videos circulating on social media on the day showed a main highway closed off by crowds and Ajamian, wearing a Basij uniform, lying motionless on the ground.According to the judiciary, 16 people were arrested in connection with his death, while Karami and Hosseini were the main suspects.
Saturday’s hangings bring the total executions over the protests to four. The latest executions come amid allegations that the confessions were forced.Iran’s protests began in mid-September after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was arrested by morality police in Tehran for allegedly not adhering to a mandatory dress code for women.Foreign-based human rights organisations say more than 500 people have since been killed during the unrest.
Sources: Aljazeera
