Earth Science News
DEMOCRACY
Iran hangs man over 2022 protest deaths, activists say conviction wrongful
Iran hangs man over 2022 protest deaths, activists say conviction wrongful
By Stuart Williams
Paris (AFP) June 11, 2025

Iran on Wednesday hanged a man convicted of killing seven people, including a 10-year-old boy, during nationwide protests in 2022 but human rights groups said he was the victim of a wrongful conviction.

Abbas Kurkuri, also known as Mojahed Kurkur, was hanged at dawn in Sheiban prison in the western city of Ahvaz, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Hengaw groups said.

His execution was reported by the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website which said he had been convicted by a Revolutionary Court of the capital offences of "corruption on earth" and "waging war against God".

He had been arrested more than two years previously over the deaths in November 2022 at the height of the nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for an alleged breach of Iran's strict dress code for women.

He was accused of opening fire with a military weapon in the town of Izeh northeast of Ahvaz in an attack that left seven people dead, including 10-year-old Kian Pirfalak, whose death sparked outrage at the time.

At his trial, Kurkuri confessed to the charges and said he had been "under the influence of social media", Mizan said.

But human rights groups said his confession, which was broadcast by Iranian state media and re-published by Mizan on Wednesday, had been obtained under duress and accused the authorities of framing him to take the blame away from the security forces.

- 'Tsunami' of executions -

"During his detention, Korkor endured severe torture and was denied access to legal counsel," said Hengaw, adding that Pirfalak's mother had said at her son's funeral that it was security personnel who fired at their vehicle.

It noted that the execution had taken place on what would have been the boy's birthday.

IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam described the execution as "an extrajudicial killing".

"The Islamic republic authorities attempted to blame him for the murder of 10-year old Kian Pirfalak by forcing confessions under torture," he said.

He said the hanging of Kurkuri, a member of Iran's Bahktiari minority, was the latest in a "tsunami" of executions in Iran, with convicts currently being put to death at a rate of four a day.

According to IHR, at least 569 people have been hanged in Iran so far this year.

Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently on leave from her own prison sentence, said Kurkuri had been "brutally tortured in solitary confinement (and) falsely accused of Kian's murder based on fabricated claims by interrogators and the regime's judiciary".

Amnesty International said he was convicted after a "grossly unfair sham trial marred by torture-tainted 'confessions' obtained while he was subjected to enforced disappearance".

The London-based group said its investigations had showed "plainclothes security officials used unlawful lethal force during protests in Izeh and fatally fired live ammunition at the child".

"Authorities immediately blamed 'terrorists', but the boy's family repeatedly refuted these claims publicly and attributed the responsibility to the authorities."

Over 550 people were killed in the authorities' crackdown on the protests, according to the IHR's figures. The authorities emphasise that members of the security forces also lost their lives.

Kurkuri's execution comes a day after Iran hanged nine men convicted of plotting to carry out attacks in 2018 on behalf of the Islamic State group.

Iran is the world's second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DEMOCRACY
Army, Trump ready birthday parade with tanks, rocket launchers
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 7, 2025
The U.S. Army celebrates its 250th birthday on June 14th in the nation's capital, which coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, and will be marked by a parade expected to include tanks, rocket launchers and more than 100 military vehicles. With the two birthdays occurring on the same day, the previously scheduled parade that was intended as a relatively small event at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., has grown in size and cost. Up to 300 soldiers and civilians, the U ... read more

DEMOCRACY
Satellite expands Chinas disaster warning network through global electromagnetic monitoring

UK nuclear site could leak until 2050s, MPs warn

Israel to expel French nationals on Gaza aid boat by end of week

Trump deploys Marines as tensions rise over Los Angeles protests

DEMOCRACY
Look Up secures major capital boost to expand radar network and space traffic services

Trump pocketed over $57 mn from crypto coin sales

AI analysis says Dead Sea Scrolls are older than thought

Google turns internet queries into conversations

DEMOCRACY
Australia says China anxiety, geography driving closer Indonesia ties

Nations call for 'quieter' ocean to help marine life

'We show up': Pacific leaders apply pressure at oceans summit

Nations advance ocean protection, vow to defend seabed

DEMOCRACY
Greenland ice melted much faster than average in May heatwave: scientists

Greenland ice melted much faster than average in May heatwave

Macron, on Greenland visit, berates Trump for threats against the territory

Emperor penguin populations declining faster than expected

DEMOCRACY
Heat tolerant crops achievable but require long timelines and major investment

UK's sunniest spring yields unusually sweet strawberries

Turkmenistan names high-yield wheat after its leaders

Sri Lanka counts seven million crop-busting monkeys

DEMOCRACY
At least 10 dead in flooding in Texas; Floods in DR Congo capital kill at least 19

Thousands evacuated as typhoon nears south China: state media

Vietnam death toll from Typhoon Wutip rises to seven

One dead, 36 injured after 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Peru

DEMOCRACY
Russia says aims to boost military ties in Africa after Wagner exits Mali

E.Guinea leader pardons 37 a year after their arrest

Nine killed in Niger jihadist attack: local sources

Nairobi startup's bid to be 'operating system for global South'

DEMOCRACY
Light travels through entire human head in breakthrough for optical brain imaging

Human brain reveals hidden action cues AI still fails to grasp

If people stopped having babies, how long would it be before humans were all gone?

Overlooked cells might explain the human brain's huge storage capacity

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.