Koha – Iran executes two anti-government protesters
Two Iranian protesters have been executed, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, indicating that the Iranian regime may be stepping up repression in the shadow of the ongoing conflict with the US.
Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi were executed on Sunday morning, Tasnim reported, for their role in January’s anti-government demonstrations, which were met with a brutal response from the regime.
It remains unclear how many people have lost their lives during those protests, but the US-based HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency) says at least 6,000 protesters have died and another 17,000 deaths are under investigation.
At the time, US President Donald Trump had warned Tehran that if they used violence against the protesters, the US would come to their aid.
And when the US and Israel began striking Iran a few weeks later, Trump called on the Iranians to “seize the moment” and “take back control” of their country.
Such rhetoric has faded over the course of the war. In fact, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), the regime has executed at least 47 political prisoners, a much higher figure compared to the 16 people executed in the same period last year.