Iran executes Majid Adineh over protest charges

Iran executed Majid Adineh on Sunday after a court convicted him over January anti-government protests and the judiciary accused him of acting for groups linked to Israel and the United States.

The judiciary's Mizan Online website said Adineh was convicted of "operational action in favour of hostile groups" during nationwide rallies that began late last year. It said the Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death and confiscation of his property based on documents, evidence and his statements, and that the Supreme Court upheld the verdict after an unsuccessful appeal.

Mizan said Adineh and another suspect were arrested on January 9 in Alborz province, west of Tehran, carrying a revolver, ammunition, two tasers, two tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw and a bottle of gasoline. It also accused him of deliberate arson and gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against internal security.

The protests were initially sparked in late December by anger over high living costs and peaked on January 8 and 9. Iranian authorities have reported more than 3,000 deaths from the unrest and attributed the violence to "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Executions in Iran have risen since the Middle East war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty said Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people last year, the highest annual figure since 1989. Amnesty International says Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China.