Iran reviews whether to continue mandatory hijab law 3:43
(CNN) --
Iran has executed a man for wounding a paramilitary officer in the first known execution linked to the protests that have swept the country since September, state media reported Thursday.
Mizan Online, a news agency affiliated with Iran's judiciary, and the semi-official Tasmin news agency identified the protester as Mohsen Shekari.
He was reportedly found guilty of "making war against God" for stabbing a member of the Basij paramilitary force at a protest in Tehran on September 23.
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Shekari was sentenced to death on October 23 and executed by hanging on Thursday morning, according to Mizan online.
It is the first protest-related execution reported publicly by state media.
Several Iranians have been sentenced to death by execution during nationwide protests, which were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by state morality police for allegedly not wearing the hijab. correctly.
This is sexual violence and torture against protesters in Iran 6:24
His death touched a nerve in the Islamic Republic, with leading public figures supporting the movement, including prominent Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti.
Since then, the protests have coalesced around a series of grievances with the authoritarian regime.
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According to Amnesty International, since November, the Iranian authorities have been seeking the death penalty for at least 21 people in connection with the protests.
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At least 458 people have been killed in unrest since September, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights on Wednesday.
CNN cannot independently verify the number of people facing execution in Iran, or the latest figures for arrests or the death toll related to the protests, as the precise numbers are impossible for anyone outside the Iranian government to confirm.
Since the demonstrations began, the authorities have unleashed a deadly crackdown, with reports of forced arrests and physical abuse used to target the country's Kurdish minority group.
In a recent CNN investigation, undercover testimony revealed sexual violence against protesters, including minors, in Iran's detention centers since the start of the unrest.
Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader praised the Basij, a wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, for its role in the crackdown, describing the protest movement as "rioters" and "thugs" backed by foreign forces.
In late November, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Iran was in a "full-blown human rights crisis" and called for an independent investigation into human rights violations in the country.
protests in iran
