Iran executions.

THERE is little doubt that the Iranian establishment has been severely shaken by the countrywide protests that erupted after the suspicious death in custody of Mahsa Amini last September. While earlier protest movements had called for reform of the system, a significant number of demonstrators this time around called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic. The regime has weathered the storm, but now the Iranian state is cracking down on those it feels played a key role in instigating the protests. Particularly disturbing is the fact that Tehran has begun to execute individuals involved in the demonstrations. At least four people have been executed in this regard, while several more, including teenagers, are on death row. The UN's Human Rights Office has condemned Tehran's use of the death penalty against protesters as 'state-sanctioned killings', while it also said Iran was 'weaponising the death penalty' to stamp out dissent.

While the Iranian state says it has a duty to restore order, and several hundred people, including security men, have been killed in the protests, the...