Tehran, May 8, (dpa/GNA) – Two men have been executed in Iran on charges of blasphemy, according to an announcement on Monday by the Iranian judiciary
The two men, named as Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare, were hanged early on Monday mor
Mehrdad and Fazeli Zare were accused of having spread blasphemous insults against Islam and the Prophet in chat groups, among other allegations. Iranian prosecutors also accused the men of having contact with anti-religious networks.
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency also said that a video of a Koran being burned was found on Mehrdad’s cellphone.
Human rights activists have for years criticized the frequent use of the death penalty in Iran. Executions for the charge of blasphemy, however, are extremely rare in the country ruled by Shia clerics.
Iran has already executed 199 prisoners so far this year, according to a report several days ago by the Norway-based Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw.
GNA