(Bloomberg) — Iran executed a second person arrested for taking part in protests that have gripped the country since September, despite condemnation and criticism from other countries and rights groups.
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Majid Rahnavard, 23, was hanged in the northeastern city of Mashhad on charges of “waging war against god” and for allegedly stabbing to death two members of Iran’s plainclothes Islamic militia during protests on Nov. 17, state-run Nour News reported.
Nour said he was hanged publicly, just weeks after being arrested.
The news follows statements by London-based rights group Amnesty International expressing concern about the imminent execution of other people in prison in Iran who face death sentences linked to their participation in protests.
Iran Condemned for Executing Young Protester as Crackdown Mounts
They include 22-year-old Mahan Sadrat Madani, who was transferred to a prison in the city of Karaj on Saturday in preparation for his execution, and Sahand Nourmohammad Zadeh, who is accused of tearing down highway railings and setting fire to rubbish bins and tires, according to Amnesty.
Both men have denied the allegations against them and Amnesty says they’ve been subject to “fast-tracked, sham trials” that have taken place over several weeks.
The father of another young man facing execution said in an interview with the moderate Etemad newspaper on Monday that his son was innocent and pleaded with officials not to execute him.
Mohammad Mehdi Karami, 21, was arrested after attending a Nov. 3 mourning ceremony for a 22-year-old woman who was killed by security forces in protests in September. His father, Mashallah Karami, told Etemad that his lawyer hasn’t been responding to his calls and when he appealed to court officials, he was told he was questioning the word of God and the prophet.
“Please God, if you’re in a position to help and are beholden, hear our voice, we are weak and we don’t have anyone in this world. My child is innocent and isn’t a murderer,” Mashallah Karami is quoted as saying.
Children Killed
The latest hanging comes just four days after authorities executed 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari for allegedly blocking traffic during the protests and injuring a member of the religious militia with a knife. Several European countries and the US condemned the action and called on Iran to halt the punishments.
Young people and children have featured prominently in the protests and the United Nations has condemned the Islamic Republic for targeting minors in violation of its international human rights obligations.
On Dec. 9, London-based rights group Amnesty International said it had identified 44 children killed by Iran’s security forces in anti-government protests.
Some 34 children were killed after being shot in the head, heart or other vital organs. At least five were killed after being shot by metal pellets and tear gas canisters, and at least five, including four girls, were beaten to death, according to the report.
Nationwide protests opposing the country’s theocratic political system have gripped Iran for almost three months, triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested for allegedly flouting Islamic dress codes.
(Updates with details, context and rights group’s report on child killings.)
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