Iran hangs two anti-government protesters in public

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s judiciary on Tuesday announced the hanging of two men over charges relating to anti-government protests that peaked in January, with media reporting it took place in a public square.

“The death sentences of Abolfazl Sepahi and Amir-Hossein Safari were carried out this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.

Mehr news agency meanwhile reported that the hanging took place in “a square in the city of Malekshahr” in the central Isfahan province, with people present.

The two were found guilty of “attacking police officers with machetes and knives, tying them to road signs, pulling them on the ground, dousing them with gasoline, and setting them on fire” on January 8, Mizan said.

It added that they had faced charges of “moharebeh (waging war against God) by drawing weapons and creating fear and terror” and “corruption on earth for committing acts that severely disrupted public order and security in the country,” among others.

In late December, a protest movement initially sparked by the high cost of living rapidly evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9.

Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Rights groups based abroad maintain that security forces fired on protesters, killing several times that number.

US President Donald Trump had threatened at the time to intervene militarily in Iran due to nuclear expansion in the country and the totalitarian regime. The US and Israel later launched a joint attack on the country on February 28 that sought to degrade Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities while creating the conditions for regime change.

Since the start of the war, arrests and executions have multiplied in the country, linked to both the conflict and the protests.

On July 19, two other men were hanged over similar charges in Isfahan province.

According to Amnesty International, Iran conducts the second most executions of any country, after China.