Iran publicly hanged two young men, Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi, on Tuesday over their alleged roles in January’s nationwide anti-government protests. The executions were carried out in Isfahan’s Shahid Alikhani Square, where authorities alleged they committed offenses connected to the Jan. 8 protests.

International Outrage

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an exiled Iranian opposition group, reported that onlookers condemned the executions before security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. The NCRI also stated that security personnel had been deployed on rooftops and surrounding streets.

The executions mark the latest escalation in Iran’s crackdown on protesters arrested during the nationwide demonstrations that began in late December and intensified in January. Human rights groups have accused Iranian authorities of denying defendants due process, relying on coerced confessions, and carrying out executions after unfair trials.

The Iranian judiciary accused Badjani and Hosseinabadi of participating in the Jan. 8 killing of four members of the State Security Force during demonstrations in Shahid Alikhani Square. The judiciary also accused them of possessing firearms and Molotov cocktails.

The United Nations experts warned this week that the remaining defendants in the case face an imminent risk of execution. The experts stated that all defendants were sentenced to death during a single closed-door hearing without clarity about each individual’s alleged responsibility, calling the proceedings a violation of international fair trial standards.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.