The Islamic Republic of Iran has executed a man tied to the country’s anti-hijab protest for the second time in less than a week. Majid Reza Rahnavard was hanged in public for “waging war against God.”
Rahnavard was “sentenced to death on November 29 for killing two security guards with a knife and wounding four others,” according to an agency report citing the Iranian judiciary’s news agency Mizan.
“Majid Reza Rahnavard was hanged in public in (the holy Shi’ite city of) Mashahd this morning … he was sentenced to death for ‘waging war against God’ after stabbing to death two members of security forces,” reported Mizan.
Mohsen Shekari was also executed on Thursday by Iran
Another protester, Mohsen Shekari, was executed on Thursday for wounding a security guard with a knife and obstructing a thoroughfare in Tehran. His execution has been extensively condemned by human rights organizations, the US, and its allies. According to Reuters, rights groups believe that Shekari was tortured in custody and coerced into delivering a false confession.
According to Reuters, Amnesty International reports that Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for 21 people. These people, according to the organization, were found guilty in “sham trials designed to intimidate those participating in the popular uprising that has rocked Iran.”
Human rights organizations located outside of Iran claim that more than 450 people have perished as a result of the protests sparked by the killing of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, at the hands of the nation’s so-called “morality police.” However, authorities claim that the number of deaths during the national protests is over 200, including both demonstrators and security personnel.
