Three more Iranian protesters have been sentenced to death, bringing to 17 the number of people condemned to such a penalty in connection with protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by Tehran's morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law.
Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi, and Yaghob Kordsofla were sentenced for "waging war against God"in their alleged role in the deaths of three Basij militia members during protests in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, the judiciary's Mizan Online website said on January 9.
Iranian professional soccer player Amir Nasr-Azadani, another of the accused in the case, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison on the charge of "assisting in waging war against God."
Nasr-Azadani had faced the possibility of a death sentence. His case has provoked a strong reaction from the international soccer community, including an announcement from the global professional soccer players union FIFPRO that it was "shocked and sickened" by the the player facing such a punishment for campaigning for women's rights and basic freedoms in his own country.
In the face of mass protests around the country since Amini's death in mid-September, Iranian authorities have warned of harsher penalties to participants in the unrest.
Four of those convicted have been executed -- including two over the weekend -- while two others, Mohammad Ghobadlou and Mohamad Broghani, had their sentences upheld by the country's Supreme Court.
In the early hours of January 9, following a report of the imminent execution of Ghobadlou and Broghani, hundreds gathered in front of the Rajaei-Shahr prison in Karaj chanting anti-government slogans.
The protests, highlighted by women and schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support, are seen as the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
The German, French, Norwegian, and Danish governments lodged protests with Iran after the executions over the weekend.
The executions of Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Mahdi Karam by hanging was a use of the death penalty as a tool of oppression, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
"This is appalling. We call on Iran to cease carrying out death sentences and release those who have been unlawfully detained immediately," Scholz said on Twitter.
After the executions on January 7, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry. The French, Danish, and Norwegian foreign ministries also summoned Tehran's ambassadors, as did the European Union. The EU's External Action Service (EEAS) said the EU and its member states were united in their reaction against Tehran's actions.
White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the latest executions and death sentences and said the United States stands with other countries demanding an "immediate cessation" of the death sentences.
Sullivan said the U.S. condemned the executions of Karami and Hosseini and the additional executions announced on January 9.
"We join with partners around the world calling for an immediate cessation of these abuses. Iran will be held accountable," Sullivan said on Twitter.
The regime has blamed Western governments for the unrest and has responded to the protests with a bloody crackdown that human rights groups say has left almost 500 dead and hundreds more injured. Thousands more have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, and others, amid concerns about the charges against them.