Iran executes man over membership of jihadist group, armed rebellion

Tehran: Iran on Sunday executed a man convicted of membership in the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl and involvement in attacks on security forces in the southeast, the judiciary said.

Amer Ramesh was arrested during a counterterrorism operation in the Pirsahrab area of Chabahar county in Sistan-Baluchestan province, the judiciary's Mizan Online website said.

The dates of his arrest and sentencing were not immediately clear.


He was convicted of "armed rebellion through bomb attacks and ambushes targeting military forces", as well as membership of Jaish al-Adl, an outlawed militant group designated a terrorist organisation by the United States.

A court sentenced him to death and the ruling was later upheld by the Supreme Court after an appeal by his lawyer, according to the judiciary.

"The execution sentence of Amer Ramesh was carried out early this morning," the judiciary said Sunday.

Iran has carried out a string of wartime executions during its conflict with Israel and the United States, which is currently paused under a ceasefire.

On Saturday, Iran executed a man accused of carrying out a "mission" on behalf of Israel's spy agency during mass protests in January, the judiciary said.

Iran is the world's second most prolific user of the death penalty after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

Sistan-Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between Iranian security forces and armed groups, including drug traffickers and separatists.

The province, which is home to a large Sunni Muslim Baluch minority, is one of the poorest regions of Shiite-majority Iran.