Iran has executed three men charged in connection with political protests in January, authorities have said, marking the latest in a wave of hangings amid the backdrop of the war against the US and Israel. The executions, carried out on a near-daily basis in recent weeks, have been denounced by activists as an attempt to instil fear in society during a period of international and domestic tension.
Details of the Executions
Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri, and Ebrahim Dolatabadi—all considered political prisoners by human rights organisations—were executed after being convicted over unrest in the eastern city of Mashhad in January, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency announced on Monday. The agency did not specify when or where they were executed, but the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reported that Rassouli, 25, and Miri, 21, were hanged at dawn on Sunday at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad.
Background of the Protests
The protests began in December, partly fuelled by grievances over the Iranian economy, but escalated into nationwide rallies against the Islamic regime, peaking as mass demonstrations on the nights of 8 and 9 January. Rights groups claim thousands were killed in the ensuing crackdown by security forces, while authorities have blamed “rioters” allegedly backed by the US and Israel. Mizan stated that Rassouli and Miri were responsible for the death of a security force member, and described Dolatabadi as one of the “instigators” of the unrest in Mashhad.
International Reactions
The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) described the three as political prisoners sentenced “after unfair trials in the revolutionary courts.” It noted that since executions resumed in March during the war against the US and Israel, Iran has executed 24 political prisoners. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, IHR director, urged: “The international community, especially the European Union, must respond decisively to this ongoing wave of executions. Unless the political cost of these executions is raised through clear and strong international reactions, there is a serious risk of daily executions continuing in the weeks and months ahead.”
In a statement on 1 May, Amnesty International said the international community must “not stand idly by while the Iranian authorities continue to escalate the arbitrary execution of political dissidents and protesters to instil fear.” Amnesty documented cases of 13 men subjected to torture and “convicted in grossly unfair trials that relied on forced ‘confessions’ and lasted a few hours.” Rights groups report that Iran carries out the second highest number of executions globally after China, with at least 1,639 hangings last year according to IHR figures.
