Two men have been executed by hanging after being convicted of murder, according to the Islamic Republic’s Judiciary’s own Mizan news agency.
According to the information, the men were convicted of murdering a member of the so-called Basij militia, which is subordinate to the Revolutionary Guard. The killing is said to have taken place in connection with protests in the city of Karaj near Tehran on 3 November.
The Basij militia have been dispatched to meet protesters in several cities and have both attacked and arrested people.
As far as is known, four people have been executed so far in cases linked to the protests. According to various activists, as many as 16 may have been sentenced to death.
The trials show no signs of legal certainty, as they take place quickly and behind closed doors. For example, the defendants are not allowed to choose their defense attorneys or take part in the evidence.
The two men who have now been executed were convicted of murder, but also of “corruption on the face of the earth”, a criminal classification that Iran’s Islamic rule has targeted against people disfavored by the regime for decades, as long as they were deemed in some way to violate its strict interpretation of Islamic custom.
More than 500 protesters have been killed in connection with the protests, according to various estimates.