Iran carries out second execution linked to wave of popular protests - Reuters.com

DUBAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The Islamic Republic connected Monday hanged a antheral successful nationalist who authorities media said had been convicted of sidesplitting 2 members of the information forces, the 2nd execution successful little than a week of radical progressive successful protests against Iran's ruling theocracy.

Nationwide unrest erupted 3 months agone aft the decease portion successful detention of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian pistillate Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by morality constabulary enforcing the Islamic Republic's mandatory formal codification laws.

The demonstrations person turned into a fashionable revolt by furious Iranians from each layers of society, posing 1 of the worst legitimacy challenges to the Shi'ite clerical elite since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"Majid Reza Rahnavard was hanged successful nationalist successful (the beatified Shi'ite metropolis of) Mashhad this greeting ... He was sentenced to decease for 'waging warfare against God' aft stabbing to decease 2 members of the information forces," the judiciary's Mizan quality bureau reported.

Mizan published pictures of the execution astatine dawn, showing Rahnavard hanging from a operation crane, with his hands and feet bound and his caput covered with a achromatic bag.

The semi-official Fars quality bureau said Rahnavard killed 2 members of the Basij unpaid unit and wounded 4 others. The Basij force, affiliated with the elite Revolutionary Guards, has been astatine the forefront of the authorities crackdown connected protests.

Calling for added protests crossed the country, activists connected societal media criticised the execution of the 23-year-old Rahnavard arsenic "a transgression act" by the clerical rulers to deter dissent.

"They called Rahnavard's household astatine 7 a.m. (local time) and told them to spell to the Behesht-e Reza cemetery. 'We executed your kid and buried him,' they said," wide followed activistic relationship 1500Tasvir posted connected Twitter.

The contents of the station could not beryllium verified by Reuters.

On Thursday, Iran hanged Mohsen Shekari, who had been convicted of injuring a information defender with a weapon and blocking a thoroughfare successful Tehran, the archetypal specified execution aft thousands of arrests implicit the unrest, drafting a chorus of Western condemnation and sanctions.

Rights groups person said Shekari was tortured and forced to confess. Molavi Abdolhamid, an outspoken Sunni Muslim cleric successful the Shi'ite-ruled Islamic Republic, has said the decease condemnation of Shekari violated sharia (Islamic law), his website said.

State media published a video of a man, which it identified arsenic Rahnavard, stabbing different antheral who fell against a parked motorcycle, and past stabbing different idiosyncratic instantly afterward and past moving away.

State tv showed a video successful which Rahnavard said successful the tribunal that helium came to hatred the Basij forces aft seeing them beating and sidesplitting protesters successful videos posted connected societal media. Activists said helium was forced to confess nether torture.

MORE SANCTIONS

Amnesty International has said Iranian authorities are seeking the decease punishment for astatine slightest 21 radical successful what it called "sham trials designed to intimidate those participating successful the fashionable uprising that has rocked Iran".

The European Union's overseas argumentation main Josep Borrell said connected Monday the EU volition hold connected a "very tough" bundle of sanctions against Iran to amusement its enactment for peaceful protesters.

Blaming the unrest connected overseas foes specified arsenic the United States and Israel, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani connected Monday rejected Western disapproval of rights abuses during the crackdown arsenic meddling successful Iran's authorities matters.

Tehran connected Monday imposed sanctions connected dozens of EU and British officials and entities "over their enactment and instigation" of the unrest, authorities tv reported.

The unrest has been watched intimately by Israel, wherever a nationalist information authoritative said the executions did not look to beryllium deterring protesters and could further "box successful the regime".

"Because it tin lone respond with force, that has reinforced for the nationalist the grievance being protested over," the Israeli authoritative told Reuters. "There is nary returning this genie to the bottle."

Rights radical HRANA said that arsenic of Sunday 488 protesters had been killed, including 68 minors. It said 62 members of the information forces had besides been killed. As galore arsenic 18,259 protesters are believed to person been arrested, it said.

While the United Nations says the protests person outgo much than 300 lives, a apical Iranian authorities information assemblage has said that 200 people, including members of the information forces, had died successful the unrest.

Additional reporting by Dan Williams successful Jerusalem; penning by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Hugh Lawson and Mark Heinrich

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