“Iran Executes Three Men Allegedly Involved in Last Year’s Protests”

Iran has executed three men alleged to be involved in the deaths of an agent and two members of a government militia during one of last year’s protests. The protests were prompted by the death in September of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She died in a police cell after she was arrested by morality police for not wearing a headscarf.

The three men died by hanging in a prison in Isfahan. On Wednesday, a handwritten letter from them appeared on social media with the appeal “Don’t let them kill us” and “We need your help”. This led to several requests to the Iranian government, including from the US, to let the men live.

Human rights organization Amnesty International says the three have not had a fair trial, that there is no evidence against them and that they only confessed after being tortured. According to one of the men, Majid Kazemi, they were given electric shocks and threatened with rape.

Iran denies the allegations. State media today again showed the videos showing the ‘confessions’.

Last year’s demonstrations were the largest protest against the strict Islamic regime since the rise to power of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. In connection with last year’s demonstrations, the regime killed at least seven demonstrators by hanging.