Rights groups say protesters are being hanged after torture-tainted trials and forced confessions
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Iran’s Islamic regime is accelerating the execution of protesters in what human-rights advocates describe as a calculated campaign to terrorize the population and prevent another nationwide uprising.
On July 28, authorities publicly hanged Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi in Isfahan’s Alikhani Square, where they had reportedly participated in anti-government demonstrations during Iran’s January uprising.
Videos posted online appeared to show residents gathering in an attempt to stop the executions before security forces dispersed the crowd, reportedly injuring and arresting several people.
Rights organizations said the two men were convicted following torture, forced confessions and proceedings in which they were denied independent legal representation. Days later, authorities secretly executed another young protester, Arvin Kheirkhahan, without notifying his family beforehand.
Amnesty International said Iranian authorities had executed at least 26 people in cases connected to the January protests by July 28, while dozens more—including several who were minors at the time of their alleged offenses—remained at risk of execution.
Many defendants have been charged with vaguely defined religious and national-security offenses, including “enmity against God” and “corruption on earth.” Such charges have reportedly been applied to acts including blocking roads, damaging property, participating in protests or sharing information with foreign media.
The executions are part of a broader crackdown that has included mass arrests, lengthy prison sentences, renewed enforcement of Islamic dress regulations and pressure against journalists, attorneys, students, religious minorities and political activists.
While Tehran portrays protesters as agents of Israel and the United States, human-rights advocates say the brutality reveals a regime increasingly fearful of its own people—and willing to use death as a warning against future resistance.
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