06 December 2022 :
Iran executes four men for 'intelligence cooperation' with Israel
In correction of the news published yesterday (which contained some inconsistencies that HoC indicated) today we learn that 4 men were executed, and not just "sentenced", on charges of "espionage for Israel".
The timeline better outlined today indicates that Hossein Ordukhanzadeh, Shahin Imani Mahmoudabad, Milad Ashrafi Atbatan, and Manouchehr Shahbandi Bejandi were arrested in June 2022, quickly tried by a first instance court which sentenced them to death, a sentence that last week was confirmed by the Supreme Court, and that a few days later, on Sunday 4 December, it was carried out.
Mizan News, affiliated with the country's judiciary, announced that the sentences were carried out in the wee hours of the morning.
The individuals were charged with "destroying private and public property, kidnappings and obtaining false confessions", according to the judiciary.
They were identified as Hossein Ordukhanzadeh, Shahin Imani Mahmoudabad, Milad Ashrafi Atbatan, and Manouchehr Shahbandi Bejandi.
3 other accused in the case were given jail terms ranging between 5 and 10 years on charges of "crime against the country's security, aiding in kidnapping and possession of weapons".
They allegedly received payment in the form of cryptocurrencies and bought weapons and equipment while receiving training on how to destroy evidence, evade security cameras, and swap vehicles, something the Iranian judiciary said underlines Mossad’s role.
Their cases were referred to the Supreme Court, which confirmed the sentences carried out on Sunday. The judiciary announced the verdicts on Wednesday.
Iran’s state media, citing judiciary officials, said these men were arrested in a joint operation by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the intelligence ministry in June this year.
Iran and Israel are regional arch-foes and Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are working for foreign powers, also including the United States and its European allies.
The executions come as Iran continues to deal with over 2 months of protests that erupted in mid-September after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was arrested by the country’s morality police for alleged non-compliance with a mandatory dress code.
Iran has accused the US, Israel, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Saudi Arabia of being behind the unrest, and 40 foreign nationals have been arrested during “riots” since September, according to the judiciary.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iran-executes-four-men-for-intelligence-cooperation-with-israel/2755308
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/4/iran-executes-four-accused-of-working-with-israeli-intelligence
Iran Human Rights | Article: 500+ Executions in 2022 in Iran; 4 Men Executed for “Collaborating with Israel” | (iranhr.net)