Tehran, 7 January 1997 (RFE/RL) - Amnesty International has condemned what it called the "rising number of executions" in Iran. The human rights group urged Iranian authorities to take immediate steps to prevent further executions.
The call followed reports that two Iranians who were detained for seven years before being tried had been executed for political reasons. The two were reportedly hanged in Tehran's Qasr prison about 10 days ago.
According to Iranian officials, the two were accused of passing "classified military information to foreign agents" and "working to restore Iran's imperial family."
The human rights organization reports it recorded at least 110 executions in Iran last year, compared with about 50 in 1995.