Iran has executed three men accused of killing police officers during anti-government protests in January, making this the first instance of executions related to the demonstrations. Among those executed was teenager Saleh Mohammadi, who was a member of Iran's national wrestling team, according to sources.
The executions took place Thursday morning local time in Qom province after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences, reports indicated.
The nationwide protests began in December and escalated in January over rising living costs and the collapse of the national currency, leading to a violent crackdown by authorities that reportedly resulted in thousands of fatalities.
Tasnim news agency reported that Mohammadi alongside two others were found guilty of killing police officers during protests. They were also charged with moharebeh, or waging war against God, a term often employed in Iranian courts to justify death sentences for political dissenters.
Rights groups have stated that the three men were forced to confess under torture and claim they were executed without a fair trial. Their deaths occurred shortly after the execution of a dual Iranian-Swedish national, Kouroush Keyvani, also criticized for lacking legal integrity.
Protests had spread across 180 cities, leading to what many experts are calling one of the most significant challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The crackdown has been met with extensive criticism from human rights organizations and foreign governments, as evidence suggests that the legal processes surrounding these executions lack transparency and fairness.
