Iran on Tuesday executed two men convicted of killing four police officers during protests that swept the country in January, according to state media reports. The judiciary's news outlet, Mizanonline.ir, identified the men as Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amir Hossein Safari Hosseinabadi.
In addition to the killings, the two men were found guilty of setting a police station on fire and damaging public property in the city of Isfahan, located about 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of the capital, Tehran. They are the latest individuals to face execution following a widespread crackdown on the nationwide protests. Rights groups have expressed concern that more individuals arrested during the crackdown could face death sentences.
The protests, which began in late December and continued into January, were met with a severe response from security forces. Earlier in July, Iran had already executed two other men in connection with the same case. Iranian authorities have stated that over 3,000 people died during the unrest, a figure that human rights activists contest, placing the death toll higher, at more than 7,000.