Monday, December 12, 2022

Iran Carries Out Second Execution Linked to Nationwide Protests

THE GUARDIAN: Majidreza Rahnavard accused of fatally stabbing security force members early in protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death in custody

Majidreza Rahnavard is the second person to have been executed in relation to the protests in Iran. Photograph: social media

Iran has publicly hanged a man accused of killing two members of the security forces in its second use of capital punishment against anti-government protesters.

Majidreza Rahnavard’s family were woken early on Monday morning to be informed that he had been executed and that his body had been buried in a lot in the local cemetery.

Rahnavard, a 23-year-old wrestler, had been sentenced to death by a court in the city of Mashhad for allegedly killing two members of the Basij volunteer force and wounding four others. The Basij force, affiliated with the country’s Revolutionary Guards, has been at the forefront of the state crackdown on protests.

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported that he was arrested on 19 November while trying to flee the country. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Monday, December 12, 2022