- Iranian authorities executed Majid Adineh after convicting him of offences linked to January’s anti-government protests.
- He was accused of acting in favour of hostile groups and possessing weapons, including a revolver and a chainsaw.
- The execution comes amid a rise in death sentences and executions in Iran following months of unrest and the Middle East war.
Iranian authorities on Sunday executed a man accused of acting as an agent for the United States and Israel during anti-government protests that swept through the country earlier this year.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the man, identified as Majid Adineh, was convicted of what Iran’s judiciary described as “operational action in favour of hostile groups” during protests that were initially triggered by economic hardship and high living costs.
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According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, Adineh was also accused of deliberate arson, gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country’s internal security.
Authorities said the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death and ordered the confiscation of his property after reviewing evidence and statements linked to the case.
His appeal was later rejected, while Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence before the execution was carried out on Sunday morning.
Iranian authorities said Adineh and another suspect were arrested on January 9 in Alborz province, west of Tehran. The two were allegedly found with a revolver, ammunition, two tasers, tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw and a bottle of gasoline.
The execution is the latest in a series of death sentences carried out in connection with the protests, which began in late December over worsening economic conditions before developing into widespread demonstrations against the government.
The unrest reached its peak on January 8 and 9, with Iranian authorities later reporting more than 3,000 deaths. The government blamed the violence on what it described as terrorist acts backed by the United States and Israel.
Iran has also seen an increase in executions since the outbreak of the Middle East war on February 28, following US-Israeli strikes against the country. Authorities have linked several recent cases to the protests and the conflict.
Rights groups have continued to raise concerns about Iran’s use of the death penalty. Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based organisation, and Together Against the Death Penalty, a Paris-based group, reported that at least 1,639 people were executed in Iran last year, the highest figure recorded since 1989.
Amnesty International has also ranked Iran among the countries carrying out the highest number of executions globally, behind China.
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