The Iranian judiciary announced on Sunday the execution of a man convicted of carrying out "operations" on behalf of Israel and the United States during the anti-government protests that shook the country in January, amid an escalation in executions linked to those events.
اضافة اعلان
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, citing the judiciary's Mizan Online website, that Majid Adineh was convicted on charges of "operations for hostile groups, the Zionist regime, and the United States," as well as "Moharebeh (waging war against God) through arson, assembly, and collusion to commit crimes threatening the country's internal security."
The website stated that "based on numerous documents and evidence included in the case file, as well as statements by the accused, the Revolutionary Court in Karaj sentenced him to death and ordered the confiscation of all his assets." It added that "following an appeal, the Supreme Court of the country fully upheld the verdict, and the sentence was carried out this morning."
In late December, a protest movement that began over rising living costs transformed into widespread anti-government demonstrations, peaking on January 8 and 9.
Thousands of people were killed on the sidelines of the protests. Authorities attributed the violence to "terrorist acts" accused of being backed by the United States and Israel. In contrast, non-governmental organizations operating outside Iran reported that the casualties resulted from the crackdown with which authorities met the protest movement.
Executions in Iran have increased since the outbreak of the war with the United States and Israel on February 28, primarily targeting individuals convicted in connection with the protests or charged with communicating with hostile entities.
According to the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty, Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people last year—a record high since 1989.
According to non-governmental organizations, including Amnesty International, Iran ranks as the highest user of the death penalty after China. — (Agencies)
