Iran executes three protesters from the January unrest
Iran has executed three people who took part in the anti-government protests of last January. The Iranian news agency Fars News reported the executions today, Sunday (8 November).
Those executed are Hasan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh. They were accused of damaging government property during the January protests and of working for Israel and the United States.
Iran's judiciary said the three men set fire to a power station and a government building in Karaj last January, using weapons, grenades and Molotov cocktails. The attack left Karaj without electricity.
Al Jazeera reported that Iran has been hanging many of those who took part in the January protests, and the execution of these three men is the latest part of that. Many others are also being executed on allegations of links with the United States and Israel.
Human rights organisations have expressed concern over the executions. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called on the Iranian authorities to halt these executions and to abolish the death penalty entirely.
Iran ranks first in the world in carrying out executions. Saudi Arabia comes next. China is believed to be at the top in this regard, but since the country does not publish the number of executions it carries out, the picture is not clear.
In January this year, widespread anti-government protests took place across Iran. There are allegations that government forces shot dead around 40,000 people during that period. The Iranian government, however, rejects the allegation.
