Iran Executes Two Protesters, Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amir Hossein Safari Hosseinabadi, for Alleged Attacks on Security Forces
Iran publicly hanged Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amir Hossein Safari Hosseinabadi on Tuesday morning in the city of Isfahan. The two men were convicted for allegedly killing four police officers during nationwide protests in January, where they were accused of attacking the security forces with machetes and knives. The Islamic regime reported that the two men were also responsible for setting a police station on fire and damaging public property. While human rights groups estimate the death toll of the protests reached over 30,000, the Iranian government reported that foreign-backed rioters were responsible for the deaths of 3,117 people. The regime is using public executions to signal its confidence and demonstrate that it is no longer concerned with managing international perceptions of its human rights record. Experts note that the death penalty is being used as a tool to instill fear and suppress dissent within the country.