Iran executes three men who smuggled a letter from prison asking for help

Amnesty International stated that Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Said Yagubi were tortured, denied access to lawyers and forced to give false confessions

Iran executed three people involved in mass anti-regime protests on charges of «waging war against God» after they smuggled a letter out of prison urging residents to help free them.

The Iranian judiciary said in a statement it executed Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yagubi without giving details of the method.

The accusation of «war against God» is leveled against those who act against the government in Iran and usually entail behind a death sentence. Iran actively used it to quell mass protests against the leadership.

The trio were accused of killing a policeman and two paramilitaries during a massive uprising against the regime last year that left hundreds dead.

< p>Earlier this week, three men smuggled a letter out of their prison. in Isfahan, south of Tehran, which said: «Don't let them kill us.»

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, say the three men were tortured, denied access to lawyers and forced to make false confessions.

«The prosecution relied on forced 'confessions' and the indictment was littered with irregularities that showed this case was politically motivated,» Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, said on Friday.

Tehranians dance around a campfire as women remove their hijabs to protest the regime. Photo: Getty

He added that one of the men, Mr. Kazemi, told relatives that he had been flogged on the legs, tasered and threatened with sexual violence while his jailers were trying to get him to confess.

These executions are part of a criminal case. a broader crackdown on the protest movement that resulted in many Iranians being sentenced to death after being given only 15 minutes to defend themselves in sham trials.

“The shocking way in which the trial and sentencing of these protesters was The accelerated passage through the Iranian judiciary amid the use of torture-tainted 'confessions', serious procedural violations and lack of evidence is yet another example of the Iranian authorities' brazen disregard for the right to life and a fair trial,» said an Amnesty spokesman for the Middle East. Directed by Dayana Eltahavi.

Massive protests against Iran's leadership erupted last year after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was beaten to death by the country's vice police for wearing the hijab incorrectly.

< p>Tens of thousands Iranians took to the streets in dozens of cities calling for the overthrow of the regime, but the protests were violently suppressed and have now largely subsided.