Iran has executed two people who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, Iran’s judiciary website Mizan showed on Monday.
Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were executed for crimes including blasphemy, insulting the religion of Islam, the prophet and other sanctities, Mizan reported. It did not say when they were executed.
The two were running dozens of online anti-religion platforms dedicated to the hatred of Islam, the promotion of atheism and insults to sanctities, Mizan reported.
UN experts have called on majority Shi’ite Muslim Iran to stop persecution and harassment of religious minorities pointing out an Iranian policy of targeting dissenting beliefs or religious practices, including Christian converts and atheists.
Under Iranian laws, expressions of unsanctioned religious views and expressions of political dissent are considered to be acts of blasphemy, according to the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. Those arrested for blasphemy are generally charged with “spreading corruption on earth.”
Swedish-Iranian convicted Habib Farajollah Chaab is seen during his trial in Tehran, Iran October 25, 2022. (credit: MIZAN NEWS AGENCY/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)There are no set limitations for the punishment if someone is found guilty of the crime.
Only a few days prior, on May 6, Iran announced that they had executed Swedish-Iranian national Habib Farajollah Chaab for “spreading corruption on earth.”
Executions in Iran
A recent report from Iran Human Rights (IHR) showed that executions in Iran increased by 75% in 2022 from 2021.
IHR detailed concerns that the number of executions in Iran would continue to rise in 2023, as Iran had conducted 150 executions in the first quarter alone. The report also details that only 12% of state executions have been reported by officials, so there is a possibility that the number of people executed is higher than currently known.
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