(Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) Amir Taheri - Last July, an Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal sentenced 14 human rights activists to death on charges of "waging war on God" and "spreading corruption on earth." Last month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Ahvaz, capital of the province of Khuzestan, where he gave the green light for the executions. The first two executions were carried out last week when Hashem Shaabani and Hadi Rashedi were hanged. Both men were well known for advocating greater cultural freedom for Iran's ethnic Arab-speaking minority, believed to number almost two million. Shaabani, 32, was especially known for the poetry he published both in Persian and Arabic.
2014-02-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive