Iran has executed another man accused of spying for Israel, according to the judiciary, amid growing outrage from rights groups over a surge in executions in the Islamic Republic.
Judiciary news portal Mizan reported on Tuesday that the man had been convicted of recruiting individuals for Israeli intelligence services. The sentence was carried out by hanging after being upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court.
The Norway-based human rights group Hengaw, however, described him as a 34-year-old former athlete and political prisoner.
The man, who was from the Iranian city of Ardabil, had been living in Turkey and was arrested by Iranian security forces whilst travelling in Iraq.
The rights organization said he had been denied access to a lawyer of his choosing and criticized the lack of transparency in the judicial proceedings. Hengaw also said the man’s brother is imprisoned in Iran.
Executions have been carried out on several men accused by the Iranian judiciary of having links to Israel this year, and a wave of executions linked to the mass protests in January continues.
The human rights organization Amnesty International reported at least 2,159 executions in Iran last year – a new high since 1981.
In the Islamic Republic, the death penalty is used for political repression and to intimidate the population, according to an Amnesty report published last week.
