Iran: Iran has executed two men convicted of blasphemy after they were found guilty of “burning the Quran” and “insulting the Prophet of Islam”, according to the country’s judiciary.
Mr. Yousef Mehrad and Mr. Sadrollah Fazeli-Zare were accused of running dozens of social media accounts that were “dedicated to atheism and desecration of the sanctities”, the statement cited. Mr. Mehrad’s lawyer argued that his client was innocent and that his sentence was unjust. The executions were condemned by rights groups, with Iran Human Rights describing them as “a cruel act by a medieval regime”.
The men were arrested in 2020 and accused of running a Telegram channel called “Criticism of Superstition and Religion”, which prompted their detention in solitary confinement for two months without access to a lawyer. In 2021, they were convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death, in addition to six years imprisonment for “running groups to act against national security.” The Supreme Court upheld the sentences following appeals by the defendants.
Iran’s judicial system has been accused of falling far short of providing fair trials and using false confessions obtained under torture as evidence. Blasphemy convictions in the country are rare, but there has been a surge in executions amid continuing anti-government unrest. Iran has executed over 200 people since the beginning of this year, according to Iran Human Rights, with the number of executions rising by 75 percent to 582 last year. The group has argued that authorities have sought to “spread fear” among those taking part in nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mr. Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
The recent executions follow the hanging of a Swedish-Iranian dual national accused of being behind a deadly attack on a military parade in 2018. The European Union condemned the execution of Habib Chaab. Iran is second only to China in the number of executions carried out annually.
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