Iran hangs man convicted for participating in January protests

Iran hanged a man on Wednesday, the judiciary announced, after finding him guilty of taking part in anti-government protests that rocked the country over the winter.

“Mohammad Amini Dehaghani, a collaborator with the enemy, was hanged this morning after confirmation of the verdict by the supreme court,” the judiciary’s press agency reported.

He was found guilty of “moharebeh” (war against God in Persian) and “corruption on earth”.

The condemned had “thrown a Molotov cocktail on January 9 outside the governor’s office in Dehaghan, set it alight and destroyed public property as well as the town’s police station,” state media added.

At the end of December, protests against the cost of living in Iran spread rapidly across the country and expanded to include political demands.

The protests were met by a crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands.

Iranian authorities have portrayed the protests as riots backed by the United States and Israel, and said the violence killed around 3,000 people.

Rights groups abroad put the toll higher and accused the security forces of firing at demonstrators.

The number of executions has surged since the start of the Middle East war, begun by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28.

According to Amnesty International, Iran conducts the second most executions of any country, after China.

AFP

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