Iran executes three men linked to anti-government protests
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
Iran executed Hassan Divband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh after they were convicted of operations attributed to Israel and the United States during the anti-government protests. The sentences were carried out on Sunday after being confirmed by the Supreme Court, according to the Iranian judiciary cited by Mizan Online.
Iran executed on Sunday three men convicted of operations carried out on behalf of Israel and the United States during the anti-government protests in January, the Iranian judiciary announced. Hassan Divband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh were hanged after their sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court, reports the Mizan Online website, a mouthpiece of the judicial authority.
The three men were found guilty of having "participated in operational activities on behalf of the Israeli Zionist regime, the United States and hostile groups" during the protests, according to Mizan. They threw Molotov cocktails and grenades, used bladed weapons and firearms and set fire to public buildings in Karaj, a city west of Tehran. Other defendants in the case received prison sentences of five to ten years.
The protest movement, which began in December over the rise in the cost of living, turned into widespread anti-government demonstrations, peaking on 8 and 9 January. The Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths, blaming the violence on "terrorist acts" which they say were orchestrated by Washington and Israel. NGOs based abroad give a higher toll and say Iranian security forces shot at protesters.
The number of executions in Iran has been rising since the start of the war in the Middle East, triggered in late February by US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic. The announcement comes two days after Donald Trump raised the prospect of a resumption of the war against Iran, on 6 November, amid new Iranian requests for weapons from Russia.
