Iran executes two more men detained amid nationwide protests

Iran said it executed two men Saturday convicted of allegedly killing a paramilitary volunteer during a demonstration the latest executions aimed at halting the nationwide protests now challenging the countrys theocracyIrans judiciary identified those executed as Mohammad Karami and Mohammad Hosseini making it four men known to have been executed since the demonstrations began in September over the death of Mahsa AminiThe judiciarys Mizan news agency said the men had been convicted of killing Ruhollah Ajamian a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards volunteer Basij Force in the city of Karaj outside of Tehran on Nov 3 The Basij have deployed in major cities attacking and detaining protesters who in many cases have fought backAlso read Air India peeing incident Delhi Police arrests accused from BengaluruIt wasnt immediately clear which court heard the two mens cases However Irans internationally criticized closeddoor Revolutionary Courts have handed down two of the death sentencesActivists say at least 16 people have been sentenced to death in closeddoor hearings over charges linked to the protests Death sentences in Iran are typically carried out by hangingAt least 517 protesters have been killed and over 19200 people have been arrested according to Human Rights Activists in Iran a group that has closely monitored the unrest Iranian authorities have not provided an official count of those killed or detainedThe protests began in midSeptember when 22yearold Amini died after being arrested by Irans morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republics strict dress code Women have played a leading role in the protests with many publicly stripping off the compulsory Islamic headscarf known as the hijabThe protests mark one of the biggest challenges to Irans theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution Security forces have used live ammunition bird shot tear gas and batons to disperse protesters according to rights groupsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever