ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Saturday executed a man convicted of killing a member of the security forces during the 2022 nationwide protests that erupted after the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody, according to state media.
Iranian state media said the sentence against Aref Khoshkar was carried out after "the completion of legal proceedings, confirmation by the Supreme Court, and the formal request of the victim’s next of kin."
Authorities said Khoshkar was responsible for the death of security member Salman Amirahmadi during the protests in Tehran's Fallah neighborhood in 2022.
The execution is the latest linked to the 2022 protests, which spread across Iran after the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the country's mandatory dress code.
The Woman Life Freedom demonstrations began in Kurdish areas before spreading across Iran.
The state media alleged that "a number of rioters in the Fallah neighborhood of Tehran disrupted public order by creating roadblocks and causing chaos," prompting security forces to intervene to reopen the roads and disperse demonstrators.
It also said Khoshkar had brought a pellet gun to the scene and "fired toward the security forces." During the shooting, Amirahmadi "was severely injured after being hit in the head by pellets" and later died in hospital.
The report added that during the investigation and reconstruction of the incident, Khoshkar "confessed to his presence at the scene and to firing at Martyr Salman Amirahmadi."
Rights groups have repeatedly criticized Iranian authorities' handling of cases related to the protests, arguing that defendants accused of killing security personnel were denied due process and did not receive fair trials.
Human rights organizations have warned about the high number of executions carried out by Tehran, describing them as a tool of repression used to silence dissent.
In a report published earlier this month, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said at least 109 prisoners were executed in June, including five political prisoners, among whom two were Kurdish.
According to the rights group, Kurdish prisoners accounted for 18 of the executions carried out in June, while only seven of the 109 executions were officially announced by Iranian authorities. The group also said 12 prisoners were executed without prior notice to their families or a final visit.
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