Iran has executed two more men as the country looks to crack down on nationwide protests, according to multiple reports.
The big picture: Four people have been executed in connection with the ongoing protests that are challenging the country's theocracy.
- Nationwide demonstrations began in September over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died after being arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the country's dress code, the Associated Press reports.
Driving the news: Both Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini were hanged on Saturday, CNN reports, citing the state-affiliated Fars News.
- The two men were convicted of killing Seyed Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Basij military force in November. The Basij have been deployed to major cities where they have sparred with protesters.
- The court of first instance sentenced the two men to death in early December, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. On Tuesday, the country's supreme court upheld the death ruling.
- Karami was an Iranian-Kurdish karate champion, while Hosseini was a volunteer coach, according to CNN.
Zoom out: At least 517 protesters have been killed and 19.262 others detained from the nationwide protests, according to the latest figures from the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
- At least 41 people have received death sentences since the protests began in September, according to Iranian media reviewed by CNN. But that number could be higher.
- Two people were executed in December in response to the protests, which sparked even more outrage across Iran.
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