Tehran: The judiciary of Iran reported that three men were put to death who the country claimed were responsible for the deaths of three security personnel during protests last year. Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were executed in the central city of Isfahan, said the judiciary on Twitter, adding that they had “martyred” two members of the Basij paramilitary force and a law enforcement officer on November 16. Amnesty International said the men’s fast-tracked trial was flawed and used “torture-tainted ‘confessions’”. Iran denies that confessions are extracted under torture.
The number of protesters who have hung since the start of the widespread demonstrations that started last autumn and evolved into one of the greatest threats to the religious leadership since the 1979 revolution increased to at least seven after last week's executions.
They were ignited by the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran's morality police on September 16. In anticipation of their imminent execution, the three men appealed in a handwritten note for public support, saying, “Don’t let them kill us”.
“We need your help,” said the note, drawing appeals to halt the executions. Families and supporters held night vigils outside the Dastgerd prison in Isfahan in support of the three men who were being held inside. The men were granted one last meeting with their family. State media reran videos of the defendants' purported confessions, which Amnesty International claimed were coerced, shortly after their execution.