The Iranian judiciary announced Wednesday three new death sentences against people accused of taking part in protests rocking the country, bringing to five the number of hanging sentences handed down since Sunday.
The three latest sentences were handed down by a Tehran revolutionary court against a prisoner accused of killing a policeman with a vehicle, another for stabbing a security guard and a third for damaging public property and "causing terror", the Mehr news agency reported.
This media outlet specified that lawyers for the convicted men were present at the trial and stated that they can appeal the sentence to a higher court.
These sentences of hanging come in addition to the one issued yesterday by another revolutionary court in Tehran against a person accused of "attacking a person with a knife, setting fire to a motorbike and declaring war against the state".
On Sunday, the Iranian judiciary issued the first death sentence against an accused protester for "setting fire to a government building, disturbing public order, assembly and conspiracy to commit crimes against national security".
The five convicted men were also charged with "war against God", a term used in Iranian justice to describe major crimes against the state or Islam, and "corruption in the land", which encompasses a range of offences against public security and Islamic morality.
Iran has been experiencing protests since the death on 16 September of Masha Amini, after she was arrested three days earlier by the morality police for wearing the Islamic headscarf incorrectly, which are being severely repressed by security forces.
The judicial authorities have charged more than 2,000 people with various offences for their participation in the demonstrations calling for the end of the Islamic Republic, many of whom face the death penalty.
In addition, at least 326, including 43 minors, have been killed in the police crackdown, according to the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights.
The protests are mainly led by young people and women shouting "woman, life, freedom", chanting anti-government slogans and burning veils, one of the symbols of the Islamic Republic and something unthinkable not so long ago.
