Iran has hanged a man in public who had been convicted of killing two members of security forces, the second execution linked to anti-government protests in less than a week.
The execution of Majidreza Rahnavard on December 12, reported by the judiciary's Mizan news agency, came after a revolutionary court in Mashhad convicted him of "waging war against God," a charge which punishable by death, for allegedly murdering two members of the notorious Basij paramilitary militia with a knife during protests in November.
The United States denounced the execution, saying it showed the clerical leadership feared its own people.
The execution and other harsh punishments are meant to intimidate Iran's people, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on December 12.
"They're meant to suppress dissent and they simply just underscore how much the Iranian leadership actually fears its own people," Price said.
France reacted to the execution by calling on the Iranian government to listen to the legitimate wishes of its people, the French Foreign Ministry said.
Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna reiterated her condemnation of what she called Iran's brutal policy of repression and attacks on fundamental freedoms.
Executing demonstrators cannot be a response to the ongoing protests in Iran, Colonna said, according to the ministry.
Iran's Revolutionary Courts have been internationally criticized for not allowing those on trial to pick their own lawyers or even see the evidence against them.
Mashhad, a Shi'ite holy city, is located some 740 kilometers east of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Activists say it has seen strikes, shops closed, and demonstrations amid the unrest sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
On December 8, Iran carried out its first execution of a protester from the unrest, hanging Moshen Shekari after his appeal of his sentence was rejected by Iran's Supreme Court.
Shekari was accused of "warfare" for allegedly wounding a security officer.
SEE ALSO: Iran Carries Out First Execution Of Amini Protester Despite Outcry From West, Rights GroupsActivists warn that at least a dozen people already have been sentenced to death in closed-door hearings.
Thousands of Iranians took to the streets nationwide since Amini died while in police custody in September. She was being held for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly.
The government has launched a brutal, and often deadly, crackdown on demonstrators, while lawmakers have pushed for harsh punishments to try and quell what has become the biggest challenge to the country's leadership since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
SEE ALSO: At Least 24 Iranian Prisoners Reportedly Face Execution From ProtestsThe activist HRANA news agency said that, as of November 29, at least 459 protesters have been killed during the unrest, including 64 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.
The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization says the number of executions in Iran exceeded 500 this year.
Rights groups and Western governments have warned Tehran over issuing death sentences to protesters after hasty trials that some have called "sham" justice.