Condemnation as Iran hangs three linked to protests
Iran on Friday executed three men convicted of killing security force members during protests triggered by Mahsa Amini's death last year, drawing condemnation from Western governments. Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were found guilty of "moharebeh" – or waging "war against God" – for shooting dead three members of the security forces at a demonstration in the central city of Isfahan on November 16, the judiciary said on its Mizan Online news website. Iran witnessed waves of nationwide protests following the September 16 death of 22-year-old Amini, an Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's strict dress rules for women. During the protests, which Tehran labelled as foreign-instigated "riots", thousands of Iranians were arrested and hundreds killed, including dozens of security personnel. Friday's hangings bring to seven the total number of Iranians executed in connection with the demonstrations. The European Union condemned the executions "in the strongest possible terms", foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement. He called on Tehran to "refrain from applying the death penalty and carrying out future executions", adding that authorities should abide by "their obligations under international law" and respect "the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly". Kazemi, Mirhashemi and Yaghoubi were arrested in November and sentenced to death in January. Nazanin Boniadi, a British actor and activist of Iranian origin, tweeted that the three men had been "murdered... after forced confessions and sham trials." (AFP)