Iran executes 3 anti-government protesters despite international outrage
What's the story
Iran has executed three men in connection with the anti-government protests that erupted in the country last year, reported Reuters. The judiciary said the deceased—Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi, and Saeed Yaghoubi—were accused of killing three members of Iran's security forces during the demonstrations on November 16. They were hanged to death in the central city of Isfahan on Friday.
Criticism
Tortured into confessing crime: Amnesty International
Amnesty International, citing "informed sources," claimed the fast-tracked trial of the demonstrators was flawed, and the men were tortured into confessing the crime. Notably, the United States (US) State Department had also warned Tehran against carrying out the death sentences. Friday's executions have brought the total number of people put to death in connection with last year's protests to seven.
Protests
Protests erupted after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's death
In 2022, protests in Iran were ignited by the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini on September 16. She was allegedly beaten after the Iranian morality police detained her for breaking the law requiring women to cover their hair with a headscarf and arms and legs with loose clothing. She died at a hospital after spending three days in a coma.