In Iran, the death sentences were carried out on two men, Sadrollah Fazeli Zarei and Youssef Mehrdad, who were hanged this morning for “insulting the Prophet Mohammed and … burning the Koran,” the judiciary website reported.
In March two years ago, one of the accused allegedly confessed to having posted a piece of content on his social media account in which he admitted to the insults he committed, Mizan added.
These are confessions that human rights groups in Iran define as “forced” as they are often obtained under duress. At least 582 people were executed in Iran last year, the highest number of executions in the country since 2015 and well above the 333 recorded in 2021, according to a joint report by NGOs Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalties (ECPM).