Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Nov. 06 Iranian authorities hanged a political prisoner in public on Sunday in the south-eastern province of Sistan-va-Baluchestan for his alleged role in the killing of two of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads bodyguards. Iran Focus
Tehran, Iran, Nov. 06 Iranian authorities hanged a political prisoner in public on Sunday in the south-eastern province of Sistan-va-Baluchestan for his alleged role in the killing of two of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads bodyguards.
Mohammad Askani was hanged in public in the town of Iran-Shahr, the official news agency IRNA reported. He was charged with taking part in the killing of the two presidential guards.
On December 15, 2005, rebels attacked the presidential motorcade near the city of Zabol during a visit by Ahmadinejad to the impoverished province.
Separately, another man called Najibollah Qayoumi was hanged in public on Sunday, IRNA reported, bringing the total number of officially-announced executions in the province to 11 during the past week.
Qayoumi was accused of drug trafficking.
Iranian authorities routinely execute dissidents on the bogus charge of drug smuggling.
A man identified as Mohebali Gholamian Moqaddam was hanged in Zabol, IRNA reported on Thursday.
The semi-official daily Jomhouri Islami reported on Thursday that two troublemakers accused of being Mofsed-o-fel-Arz (meaning corruptors of society, whose blood can be spilled) were hanged in the provincial capital Zahedan.
The two men, identified as Hadi Daryakesh Naroui and Azizollah Najjarian, were hanged in public on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the hard-line daily reported that six men were hanged in public in Zahedan for instigating trouble.
The report stated that three trouble-makers were hanged in front of a crowd of several thousand people Monday morning. The men, identified as Mohsen Sargolzaee, Nader Kaharzehi, and Maijd Kaharzehi, were charged with kidnapping, shooting, and spreading fear in society and declared to be Mofsed-o-fel-Arz.
The same report said that another three men, identified as Behzad Naroui, Mohammad Amin Hormozi, and Abdollah Sheikh Hassani, were hanged in public in Zahedan Monday afternoon.
Sistan-va-Baluchestan has been a hotbed of anti-government activities since 2005.
In recent months, Iranian authorities have stepped up executions in the restive province in what many Baluchis believe is a response to a spate of attacks by dissidents on government and security officials.
