Overview
- Iran’s official justice portal reported the execution of Amirhossein Hatami after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence and rejected a bid to revise it.
- Authorities say he took part in an attack on a classified Basij site in Tehran, a paramilitary force used to police dissent, where he set a fire and tried to take weapons.
- Mizan, the judiciary’s news agency, said Hatami confessed during interrogation, while Amnesty International has alleged torture and unfair trials based on forced confessions in similar cases.
- Following Tuesday’s pledge by the judiciary to apply the death penalty “without mercy,” officials said more offenses such as terrorism, destroying state sites, and spreading fear now qualify for execution.
- Rights monitor Hengaw counts at least 160 executions in the year’s first three months, reflecting an intensified crackdown after protests that began in late December over an economic crisis.