Iran executes pair linked to January killings
Two men were hanged for roles in the deaths of four officers during protests that left over 3,000 dead.
By Aaron Foster ·
More than 3,000 people died during the clashes in Iran that began in December. The figure comes from official government data. Rights groups based abroad cite higher numbers for the same period.
On Tuesday, Iranian authorities hanged two men convicted for their roles in that violence. Amirhossein Maleki and Amirhossein Ebrahimi were executed for killing four police officers in Isfahan in January. The judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported the executions took place after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences.
The pair had appealed their cases. Authorities said the legal review was thorough before the final verdict was confirmed. The men were charged with moharebeh, a charge translated as waging war against God, and corruption on earth through actions against national security.
Mizan described the two men as the main perpetrators of the crime. It stated they were armed and present at the scene in Isfahan. The report noted they committed multiple criminal acts during the incident.
This execution follows the earlier deaths of Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raissi. Those two men were executed in early October for involvement in the same Isfahan case. The number of executions in Iran has risen since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in late February. Amnesty International reports Iran carries out more executions than any country except China.
In a separate incident, Iranian police reported the killing of one of their officers in the southeast. Third Lieutenant Hojat Vafakardeh was shot in Saravan county in Sistan-Baluchistan province. State television quoted a police statement saying unidentified individuals carried out the attack. Police are searching for the assailants.
Sistan-Baluchistan is one of Iran’s poorest provinces. It borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and has a large Baluch Sunni Muslim population. The region has seen frequent clashes between security forces and armed separatist groups. On Monday, the Mehr news agency reported that terrorists attacked a vehicle carrying engineers and contractors in the same area.
The Revolutionary Guards said their forces ambushed a terrorist team in the region on Monday. They killed one member and arrested several others. Earlier in the week, the intelligence ministry said it dismantled four operational cells of a terrorist-takfiri group. That operation led to the arrest of 16 people. Three more were detained for sending information to US-Zionist centers. The ministry did not provide further details on the intelligence sharing.
