Iran execution provokes outrage

Two activists have been executed in Iran in a trial linked to post-election violence in June.

Arash Rahmanipour and Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani, were convicted of being "Mohareb" or enemies of God.

The executions are believed to be the first related to protests that erupted after June's disputed presidential election - the largest demonstrations in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Opposition groups said the poll had been rigged to ensure the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, a charge the government denied.

Davoud, Arash Rahmanipour's father, has blamed Iran's "mockery of a justice system" for killing his son.

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer for Rahmanipour, also denied he had played any role in the unrest.

"He confessed because of threats against his family", she told the AFP news agency, adding that she was shocked at the news of the executions since she and her client's family had still been waiting for word from the appeals court.

Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari reports. [January, 28, 2010]

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