Iran has executed three men accused of deadly violence against security officers during last year’s anti-government protests despite objections from human rights groups.
The executions of Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeed Yaghoubi were announced on Friday by judicial authorities.
Authorities said the men killed a police officer and two members of the paramilitary Basij group in Isfahan, Iran’s third largest city, in November 2022 during nationwide protests.
All three men were convicted of “moharebeh”, an Islamic legal term meaning “waging war against God”, for using weapons, forming a group to undermine national security, and cooperating with a Europe-based group that Tehran considers a “terrorist” organisation.
The Supreme Court said it saw no credible reason to accept their appeal cases as they aimed to “overthrow the holy Islamic Republic establishment” and also engaged in arson during “riots”.
Earlier this week, as the families of the three men said they suspected their sentences could be carried out soon, they demonstrated in front of the central prison in Isfahan where they were being held.
