Iran hangs three men in first executions over January protests

Iran executed three men on Thursday who were accused of killing police officers during protests in January with activists warning of the risk of a new surge in hangings as war rages with Israel and the United StatesThey were the first hangings Iran has carried out related to the nationwide demonstrations that were met with a brutal crackdown by the authoritiesRights groups said the trio who included a teenager who had taken part in international wrestling competitions were executed without a fair trial and had given confessions under torture reported AFPTeenage wrestling champion among three hanged in Iran for MoharebehAccording to AFP Mehdi Ghasemi Saleh Mohammadi and Saeed Davoudi were hanged in the city of Qom south of Tehran after being convicted of the capital crime of waging war against God known as moharebeh under Irans sharia the judiciarys Mizan news agency saidThey had been found guilty of involvement in the killing of two police officers and carrying out operational actions in favour of Israel and the United StatesThere had been particular concern over the fate of Saleh Mohammadi a teenage wrestling champion who had taken part in international competitions who according to Amnesty International was denied adequate defence and forced to make confessions in fasttracked proceedings that bore no resemblance to a meaningful trialNorwaybased NGO Iran Human Rights said after the executions the three had been sentenced to death following an unfair trial based on confessions obtained under tortureIt said Mohammadi had only turned 19 last weekIranian legal affairs monitor Dadban added that they were deprived of effective access to independent counsel and the right to defence and under such circumstances the use of the death penalty resembles an extrajudicial killing as per AFPRisk of mass executionsAccording to AFP Iranian authorities had the day earlier executed Kouroush Keyvani a dual IranianSwedish national on charges of spying for Israel in a hanging strongly condemned by Stockholm and the EUThat was the first public announcement of such an execution since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on February 28 killing its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering the war that has spread across the Middle EastWe are deeply concerned about the risk of mass executions of protesters and political prisoners in the shadow of war said Iran Human Rights IHRThese executions are carried out to spread fear in the society as the Islamic Republic knows that the main threat to its survival comes from the Iranian people demanding fundamental change it added reported AFPThe hangings of the three men were the first officially announced executions related to the protests which broke out in Iran late December against the rising cost of living before morphing into nationwide antigovernment demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9Iran accused of killing thousands in protest crackdown toll could be far higherRights groups accuse security forces of killing thousands in their crackdown on the protests which authorities blamed on the US and IsraelThe USbased Human Rights Activists News Agency HRANA has recorded more than 7000 killings with the vast majority protesters while warning the toll could be far higher reported AFPTehran has acknowledged that more than 3000 people died during the unrest including members of the security forces and innocent bystanders and attributed the violence to terrorist actsIrans hardline judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has warned there will be no leniency against those convicted of violent acts during the protestsIHR has said hundreds of people are facing charges linked to the protests that could see them sentenced to death US President Donald Trump has initially warned the US would attack Iran if it executed protesters but subsequently focused on its nuclear programmeIran is the worlds most prolific executioner after China according to rights groups Last year it hanged at least 1500 people according to figures from IHRThe Islamic republic executed 13 people on charges related to the 2025 June war with Israel and 12 people on charges related to 20222023 nationwide protests according to rights groups reported AFPInputs from AFP