Iran executes two men for January police killings

Iranian authorities hanged two men on Tuesday for their roles in the killing of four police officers during the nationwide protests that began last December. The executions conclude a legal process that began in January and mark the second pair of defendants put to death in the same case.

The judiciary identified the men as Amirhossein Maleki and Amirhossein Ebrahimi. According to the state-run Mizan news website, the pair were convicted of moharebeh, a charge defined as waging war against God, and corruption on earth through actions against national security.

The report stated that the two were armed and present at the scene of the killings in Isfahan. It described them as main perpetrators who committed multiple criminal acts during the incident. Their death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court following appeals.

The executions took place against a backdrop of renewed violence in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province. Police announced on Tuesday that a criminal investigation officer, Third Lieutenant Hojat Vafakardeh, was killed in an armed attack in Saravan county.

State television broadcast a police statement calling the attack "cowardly" and confirming that security forces are working to identify and arrest the assailants. The province borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and has a large Sunni Muslim population in a predominantly Shia country.

Security incidents in the region have increased over the past week. On Monday, the Mehr news agency reported that a vehicle carrying engineers and contractors was attacked in the same area. Later that day, the Revolutionary Guards said they ambushed a team before it could carry out an operation, killing one member and arresting several others.

The intelligence ministry also announced on Thursday that it dismantled four cells of a group it described as terrorist-takfiri. Forces arrested 16 people in that operation and detained three others for allegedly sending information to US and Israeli centers.

The January protests were triggered by a sharp rise in the cost of foreign currency. The demonstrations peaked on January 8 and 9, with Tehran accusing Israel and the United States of fomenting the unrest. Official figures place the death toll at more than 3,000 people, including police and security personnel, while international rights groups report higher numbers.

Executions in Iran have risen since the start of the conflict with the US and Israel in late February. Amnesty International states that the country carries out more executions than any nation except China. Two other men, Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raissi, were executed in early October for their involvement in the same police killings.