In a significant development on Tuesday, Iran executed two men accused of killing four police officers amid the chaotic protests that erupted in January, as reported by state media.
According to Mizanonline.ir, a judiciary-affiliated outlet, the executed individuals were identified as Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amir Hossein Safari Hosseinabadi. The report detailed their alleged involvement in setting a police station ablaze and inflicting damage on public property in Isfahan, a city located approximately 250 miles south of Tehran, Iran’s capital.
These executions are part of a broader crackdown in which tens of thousands were detained as the Iranian government sought to suppress the widespread protests that began at the start of the year.
Human rights organizations are raising alarm, suggesting that more individuals could potentially face the death penalty in connection with the unrest.
The protests, which erupted in late December and extended into January, encountered a stringent response from Iran’s security forces, aiming to quell the rising dissent.
Earlier in July Iran hanged two other men in the same case.
Iran put the death toll of the protests at more than 3,000.
Right groups activists put the number at more than 7,000.