Iran Executes Two on Blasphemy Charges Amidst Increasing Executions

Iran has executed two men on charges of blasphemy, as the country continues to see a spike in summary executions following months of unrest. Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were arrested in May 2020 for their participation on a Telegram channel dubbed "Critique of Superstition and Religion." The men were executed for allegedly insulting Islam’s Prophet Mohammed and burning a Quran. Iran has reportedly admitted that at least 22,000 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, hundreds have been killed and dozens sentenced to death. Amnesty International has reported that thousands of minors have been subjected to torture and human rights violations. The director of the Iran Human Rights group condemned the executions as being of a "medieval nature" and called on the international community to react decisively.