Iran has executed three men convicted in connection with political protests that took place in January, authorities confirmed on Monday. The hangings are the latest in a wave of near-daily executions that activists say are intended to instil fear amid heightened tensions with the US and Israel.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency identified the executed men as Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri and Ebrahim Dolatabadi. All three were convicted over unrest in the eastern city of Mashhad in January. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), Rassouli, 25, and Miri, 21, were hanged at dawn on Sunday at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad.
The protests began in December, driven partly by economic grievances, and escalated into nationwide rallies against the Islamic regime, peaking on 8 and 9 January. Rights groups report thousands were killed in the subsequent crackdown, while authorities blame “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 an “instigator” of the unrest. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) called them political prisoners sentenced after “unfair trials in the revolutionary courts”. IHR noted that since executions resumed in March, Iran has executed 24 political prisoners.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHR, urged the international community, particularly the European Union, to respond decisively. Amnesty International also condemned the executions, stating that 13 men it documented were subjected to torture and convicted in grossly unfair trials relying on forced confessions.
