Iran executes man convicted of killing security officer during 2022 protests

Iranian authorities have executed a man convicted of killing a security forces officer during nationwide protests in 2022, state-linked Mizan news agency reported.

The man, identified as Aref Khoshkar, was accused of opening fire on security personnel in Tehran during unrest, using an air rifle. The shooting wounded Salman Amir Ahmadi, a security officer who later died in hospital, according to the report.

In a confession cited by Mizan, Khoshkar described his actions on the day of the incident:

“On the day of the incident, one of my friends came to pick me up. I hid the weapon under my clothes and also took a hand grenade from my friend (a homemade incendiary device). Then we went to Abedi Alley, entered one of the houses and climbed onto the roof. I took the weapon from under my clothes and fired a shot. After that, I hid the rifle under my clothes again, we left the area, and I threw the weapon into a trash bin.”

Iranian authorities have carried out several executions linked to cases stemming from the 2022 protests, which erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini following her arrest by morality police over an alleged violation of the country’s hijab regulations.

By Tamilla Hasanova