Iranians' fears grow after the nation's government ordered a second execution amid violent protests for allegedly fatally stabbing two security officials last month.
The incident was reported by a news agency affiliated with Iran's judiciary, Mizan Online, and the semi-official Tasmin news agency on Monday. The former identified the man as Majidreza Rahnavard, who was allegedly convicted of "waging war against God."
Iran's Second Execution
The suspect reportedly killed two members of Iran's Basic paramilitary force and injured four others on Nov. 17. The charge of "waging war against God" is punishable by death under the theocracy of the Islamic Republic since 1979.
Rahnavard was hanged in a public execution on Monday in the northeastern city of Mashhad, the reports said. The man is the second-known person to be executed in connection to the recent violent protests across the country.
Furthermore, the second execution comes after the first, who was identified as Mohsen Shekari, was hanged last Thursday. During the nationwide demonstrations, several other Iranians have been sentenced to death by execution, as per CNN.
The protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman who lost her life while under the custody of law enforcement personnel. The woman was arrested by morality police over Iran's strict hijab laws.
Following Amini's death, public outrage burst into violent protests on the streets of Iran, fueled by a range of grievances against the Islamic Republic's oppressive regime. Many are now fearing harsh punishments and death sentences to be a regular occurrence.
According to BBC, Rahnavard, who was 23 years old, was hanged to death only 23 days after he was arrested by police. Now, human rights groups warn that protesters are being unjustly sentenced to death after sham trials with no due process. Furthermore, the mother of the convicted man was not told of her son's execution until after his death.
Growing Fears
Rahnavard's family was later given the name of a cemetery and a plot number where he would be buried. When they showed up at the area, they discovered several security agents burying their beloved's body.
In a Twitter post, opposition activist collective 1500tasvir said that Rahnavard's family was telephoned by an official at roughly 7:00 local time who told them that they have killed the suspect and buried his body in Behesht-e Reza cemetery.
Mizan news said that Rahnavard was hanged "in the presence of a group of Mashhadi citizens" and posted photographs that allegedly showed the public execution. In the photos, a man could be seen hanging from the cable in front of a group of onlookers. The images did not clearly portray how many people attended the execution, or who they were.
The first execution prior to Rahnavard was over charges of injuring a security guard with a knife and blocking a street in Tehran. The United States and its allies have widely condemned the execution of Shekari.
Human rights groups said that Shekari was tortured and forced to confess in order to be given the death penalty. In a statement, Amnesty International said that Iranian authorities are looking to impose the death penalty on at least 21 people in sham trials that the group said were meant to intimidate protesters, Inquirer reported.
Related Article: Iran Protests: Man Publicly Executed by Hanging From a Crane; At Least 12 Gets Death Sentence Amid Nationwide Demonstrations
