Iran carries out second execution linked to months-long protests, unrest

TEHRAN

Iran on Monday executed the second person convicted over the killing of two security personnel in the northeastern city of Mashhad in November amid months-long countrywide protests.

Majid Reza Rahnavard was hanged in public in his hometown Mashhad in the wee hours of Monday on charges of “moharebeh” (waging war against God), judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency said.

The accused was charged with stabbing to death two security personnel, identified as Hossein Zeinalzadeh and Danial Rezazadeh, on Har Ameli Street in Mashhad on Nov. 17.

He was also accused of injuring four security forces before fleeing from the scene, according to the news agency.

The incident came after protesters called on shopkeepers at Har Ameli Street to down their shutters in response to a three-day protest call to mark the third anniversary of the November 2019 unrest.

CCTV footage released by the police after the incident showed a knife-wielding man stabbing one of them before striking the other amid a violent scuffle.

The accused was arrested by law enforcement agencies two days later while trying to flee the country, Mizan News Agency said, citing officials.

On Nov. 24, Rahnavard was handed the death penalty on charges of “waging war against God”, which has been widely used in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

It is the second execution linked to nationwide protests in less than a week. The protests were triggered by the death of young woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in mid-September.

On Thursday, Iran executed Mohsen Shikari for “threatening citizens with a cold weapon and injuring a security guard” during protests in the Sattar Khan neighborhood of west Tehran.

Shikari was handed the death penalty on Nov. 20 by a court in the Iranian capital for “disturbing the social order and security”.

The execution drew widespread condemnation from many Western countries as well as the UN.

“Executions following unfair trials constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life,” said a statement by UN experts, urging Iran to establish a moratorium on executions “with a view to abolishing the death penalty”.

At least 11 death sentences have been issued so far in connection with the months-long unrest, which authorities say are subject to appeal in the apex court before being executed.