Iran hangs two convicted of murder of Revolutionary Guard

Iran has hanged two men on the same day who had been accused of taking part in the protests that have swept the country.

Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were accused of murdering a member of the baseej, the paramilitary policing arm of the Revolutionary Guard, who was stripped naked and stabbed to death by a mob in November.

Relatives and human rights groups said that Karami, 22, a member of the national karate squad, and Hosseini, 39, who worked at a poultry farm, were tortured into confessing.

Four people have now been executed as a result of the protests. Scores more have been sentenced to death, or are facing charges that automatically attract the death penalty.

The executions on Saturday prompted criticism from around the world, including London. “Iran must immediately end the violence against its own people,” James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, said. “The execution of Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini by the Iranian regime is abhorrent.”

The Pope also condemned Iran’s use of the death penalty against the demonstrators.

“The right to life is also threatened in those places where the death penalty continues to be imposed, as is the case in these days in Iran, following the recent demonstrations demanding greater respect for the dignity of women,” Francis said on Monday during his annual speech to diplomats accredited to the Vatican.

“The death penalty cannot be employed for a purported state justice, since it does not constitute a deterrent nor render justice to victims, but only fuels the thirst for vengeance.”

The Pope repeated an appeal for an end to the death penalty worldwide, saying it was “always inadmissible since it attacks the inviolability and the dignity of the person”.

The protests began after the death in custody in September of a woman, Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been arrested for not wearing hijab properly.

The death of the baseej officer in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, occurred during a memorial for another young woman, Hadis Najafi, who was shot dead during anti-hijab protests after Amini’s death. The memorial was attended by thousands of people and led to clashes during which the officer, Ruhollah Ajamian, was killed. The authorities said he had been “attacked by stone, knife, machete, and brass knuckles”.

At least 16 people were arrested in connection with his death and five sentenced to hang. Three later had their sentences lifted on appeal.

Hosseini’s lawyer said his client confessed only after being bound hand and foot, beaten, subjected to electric shocks all over his body and kicked in the head until he passed out.

Amnesty International said that both men had been convicted in a “sham” trial.