Iran carries out second execution amid protest, hangs 23-year-old Majidreza Rahnavard

A second execution has been carried out by Iran in connection with the anti-government protests engulfing the country. On Monday, 23-year-old man Majidreza Rahnavard was hanged "in public" in the city of Mashhad, and the news was shared by the Judiciary, according to reports.

A court in the country found out that the 23-year-old had earlier stabbed two members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force to death, after which, Rahnavard was convicted of "enmity against God."

Human rights organisations have expressed concern that protestors are receiving death sentences following sham trials that lack due process.


"Rahnavard was sentenced to death based on coerced confessions, after a grossly unfair process and a show trial. This crime must be met with serious consequences for the Islamic Republic," tweeted Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based Iran Human Rights.

"Thousands of detained protesters, and a dozen death sentences already issued. There is a serious risk of mass execution of protesters," he further added.



The first execution in the country took place on Thursday, after which a massive international condemnation was triggered. After it was discovered that Mohsen Shekari, 23, had attacked a Basij member in Tehran with a machete, he was also convicted guilty of "enmity against God."

If the judiciary's Mizan news agency's report is to be believed, then the hanging of Majidreza Rahnavard took place "in the presence of a group of Mashhadi citizens".

A set of pre-dawn photographs reportedly showing the execution were posted and in one of the pictures, a man can be seen hanging from the cable of the crane.

FAQs:

1. What was the name of the first man who was executed by Iran in connection with the anti-government protests?
   Mohsen Shekari, 23, was the first man who was executed by the Iran government, after which a massive international condemnation was triggered.
2. Why did the Iran government execute the second man?
   The 23-year-old youngster Majidreza Rahnavard was executed because convicted of 'enmity against God' after it was found that he had stabbed to death two members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force.