Amnesty International, along with the U.S. and British governments, have condemned the executions in Iran of two men who were sentenced to death in trials after June's disputed Iranian presidential election.
Iranian reports said the men were hanged on charges of being "enemies of God," members an armed group that backs the restoration of an Iranian monarchy, and trying to topple the Islamic government.
Amnesty International said the men were "unfairly" convicted and killed, with their alleged confessions apparently made under duress. It said the executions show the Iranian regime will do anything to "stamp out the peaceful protests" since the disputed reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley also condemned the hangings, saying, "We think this is another sign of the increasingly ruthless repression and attempts at intimidation that we see the Iranian government trying to send signals to its people. We think theyre the wrong signals because Iranian citizens have the same right that all citizens have to demonstrate peacefully, to participate in the political process."
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the executions undermine Iran's claims that it is committed to justice, human rights, and democratic values.
-- Golnaz Esfandiari