Iran executes two men over January mosque arson amid trial outcry

Iran's Islamic regime executed two men on Monday, Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki, who were accused of setting fire to a mosque during protests in January. The executions took place in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, according to the Iranian judicial outlet Mizan news agency.

The two men were allegedly part of a group that targeted the Jafari Mosque in Tehran's Gisha neighborhood. Their actions were described by the outlet as a "pretext for the military aggression" of the United States and Israel. The specific charges leading to their execution were not announced, but the US-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported they were sentenced on charges of moharebeh, or "Waging war against God."

The Hengaw Organization also reported that both men were denied a final visit with their families and were not allowed to choose their own legal representatives, raising concerns about fair trial standards. Significant worry is now reportedly focused on Arman Marefati, a 38-year-old Kurdish citizen held in the Great Tehran Penitentiary in connection with the same case.

In a related development, Masoud Payahoo received a 10-year prison sentence for filming a protester blocking security forces in Tehran. Despite his lawyer stating the video was from a private Instagram account and not intended for external sharing, Payahoo was convicted of collaborating with Israel.