Iran - executions

Iran executes two over post-poll unrest

Article published on the 2010-01-28 Latest update 2010-01-28 15:40 TU

An Iranian protester, in central Tehran, December 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

Iran on Thursday hanged two men convicted of being 'enemies of God', in the first executions of dissidents since protests broke out over the disputed presidential poll in June, news reports said.

The Tehran prosecutor's office released a statement that said "Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmani Pour, whose cases were confirmed by a Tehran appeals court, were hanged on Thursday morning."  The two young men were also charged with being part of an armed group and plotting to topple the Islamic regime.

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi confirmed the hanging to state-run television.

"The two who were hanged today belonged to the monarchist group Tondar (the Kingdom Assembly of Iran). During their trials they confessed to obtaining explosives and planning to assassinate officials," he said.

Amnesty International urged Tehran to lift Zamani's death sentence in October. He was among many people arrested in the mass protests after the election. Rahmani Pour's lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, denied his involvement in the post-election riots.

"He was arrested in Farvardin (the Iranian month covering March-April) before the election and charged with cooperation with the Kingdom Assembly," Sotoudeh told AFP.

Sotoudeh said she had been prevented from representing Rahmani Pour at what she called his "show trial" in July, and added that many of the charges related to when he was a minor. "He confessed because of threats against his family," she said.

The prosecutor's office statement said nine other detained protesters faced charges of being enemies of the people, trying to topple the regime and belonging to the outlawed main opposition group the People's Mujahedeen Organisation and the Kingdom Assembly and have been sentenced to death.

Dolatabadi said that out of the nine, "five were arrested on Ashura... they have been tried in two sessions, and they are now waiting for their final verdicts from the appeals court."

Official figures show that more than a thousand protesters were arrested in the most recent wave of opposition demonstrations on December 27 during the Shiite mourning rituals of Ashura. "The other four were arrested before the Ashura incidents.

Iran has put on trial more than 100 political activists and figures since August.