Iran Executes Three Men Sentenced Over January Protests

Iran has executed three men accused of participating in armed unrest during anti-government protests in January, Iranian state media reported. The executions took place after the country's Supreme Court upheld their death sentences. Iranian authorities stated that the men operated on behalf of foreign powers, including the United States and Israel.

According to the state news agency Tasnim, the executed men were identified as Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi, and Reza Zanganeh. The news agency reported that the men used firearms, bladed weapons, Molotov cocktails, and grenades during unrest in the city of Karaj, located west of Tehran. Tasnim also reported that their actions caused damage to public infrastructure, including an electricity substation whose destruction led to power outages in parts of the city.

Iranian officials reported that more than 3,000 people died during the nationwide unrest in January, asserting that the violence was organized by foreign actors. Dioband was arrested by security forces on 11 January following investigations into attacks on public property. Ten additional individuals accused of taking part in the unrest under his direction were later arrested and sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to ten years, according to reporting by the Reuters news agency. The source does not quote responses from Washington or Israeli officials regarding the accusations of foreign orchestration.

The executions represent the latest capital sentences carried out in connection with the January protests. In August, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that at least 56 individuals had been executed in Iran on national security-related charges since 19 March. According to Türk, 27 of those cases were directly connected to the anti-government demonstrations earlier in the year.

Data from human rights organization Amnesty International indicates that Iran carried out at least 2,159 executions in the previous year. The organization reported that this total was the highest recorded in the country since 1981. Amnesty International added that the figures included 45 executions of suspected dissidents convicted on national security charges.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com