This Friday, three men sentenced to death in Iran were executed. They were accused of being involved in the deaths of members of the security forces, which occurred during the demonstrations triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini.
Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were found guilty of “moharebeh” (“war against God”) and possessing a weapon during a demonstration in the city of Isfahan (center), a indicated the site of the information agency of the judicial authority Mizan Online.
Arrested last November, the three men were sentenced to death in January. They were also convicted of being members of “illegal groups with intent to undermine the security of the country and of collusion leading to crimes against internal security”, Mizan Online added.
“According to the evidence and the statements of the defendants, the firing (firearms) of these three people led to the martyrdom of three members of the security forces,” the government news site also said.
The day before, the UNITED STATES urged Iran not to execute these three men. “We join the Iranian people and the international community in calling on Iran not to carry out these executions,” said US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel.
The country that executes the most convicts
Iran has been rocked by a protest movement since the death on September 16, 2022 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, three days after her arrest by the morality police who accused her of having violated the strict dress code imposing on women, in particular the wearing of the veil.
Opponents accuse Iran of using the death penalty as a way to intimidate the population after protests that erupted in September 2022.
Iran executes more convicts than any other country except China, says Amnesty International. Last year, the country executed four protesters, prompting international condemnations.