Iran executes two men for allegedly desecrating Quran, insulting Prophet Mohammad

Iranian authorities have executed two men who were convicted of desecrating the Holy Quran and insulting the Prophet Mohammad, the country’s judiciary announced.

The convicts, Sadrollah Fazeli Zarei and Youssef Mehrdadp, were hanged on Monday morning after they were found guilty of “insulting Prophet Mohammad and… burning the Quran,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported.

The accused were sentenced to death in March 2021, where one of them allegedly confessed to publishing content on his social media account admitting to the insults committed, Mizan added.

However, human rights activists have condemned the execution of the convicts, saying that such confessions are frequently obtained under duress and extreme torture.

Read Also: Iran executes two more men who participated in nationwide protests

Norway-based rights group, Iran Human Rights (IHR) in a statement, said Iran has now executed more people yearly than any other nation except China, citing statistics from Amnesty International.

“Iran hanged 75 percent more people in 2022 than the previous year,” the IHR said.

“At least 582 people were executed in Iran last year, the highest number of executions in the country since 2015 and well above the 333 recorded in 2021,” the report noted.

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