Iran has executed three men convicted in connection with political protests in January, authorities confirmed on Monday. The hangings are part of a wave of near-daily executions that activists say are intended to instil fear amid the country's ongoing conflict with the US and Israel.
The judiciary's Mizan news agency identified the executed men as Mehdi Rassouli, 25, Mohammad Reza Miri, 21, and Ebrahim Dolatabadi. All three were convicted over unrest in the eastern city of Mashhad in January. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reported that Rassouli and Miri were hanged at dawn on Sunday at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad.
The protests began in December over economic grievances but escalated into nationwide rallies against the Islamic regime, peaking on 8 and 9 January. Rights groups claim 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 Dolatabadi was described as an “instigator” of the unrest.
The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) called the three political prisoners sentenced after “unfair trials in revolutionary courts”. It noted that since executions resumed in March, Iran has executed 24 political prisoners. IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam urged the international community, particularly the European Union, to respond decisively to prevent further daily executions.
Amnesty International, in a statement on 1 May, said the international community must not “stand idly by” while Iranian authorities escalate the arbitrary execution of political dissidents. Amnesty documented 13 cases where men were tortured and convicted in unfair trials lasting only hours, relying on forced confessions. Rights groups report that Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions globally after China, with at least 1,639 hangings last year.
