Iranian Man Arrested outside Prison Where Brother Was Executed

Iranian authorities arrested a man who was protesting outside the prison where his brother had been executed at dawn on May 19.

Three men accused of deadly violence during last year’s anti-government protests – Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi – were executed in Dastgerd prison in the central city of Isfahan, sparking widespread condemnation inside and outside Iran.

Kazemi’s brother, Mohsen, was arrested by security forces while he was holding a protest in front of the facility on the afternoon of the same day, according to Iran's human rights news agencies. 

Authorities claim Kazemi, Mirhashemi and Yaghoubi were implicated in the deaths of two members of the Basij paramilitary force and a law enforcement officer during nationwide protests in Isfahan in November.

Human rights groups say the three were deprived of access to their chosen lawyers, subjected to torture and pushed into "forced confessions."  

Campaigners have denounced the Islamic Republic's escalation of executions in recent weeks and accused the authorities of using the death penalty as a means to intimidate Iranians.

Security forces have cracked down hard on months-long nationwide protests sparked by the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

More than 520 people were killed during demonstrations and over 20,000 others were unlawfully detained, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.