[JURIST] Two Iranians were executed [ISNA report, in Persian] Thursday and nine others have been sentenced to death for their roles in last summer's post-election protests [JURIST news archive], according to the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) [media website]. The two executed men, identified as Momammed Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour, were convicted [NYT report] on charges of mohareb, or being enemies of God, and had earlier been appeared in televised show trials. Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] condemned [press release] the executions, saying, "[t]hese shocking executions show that the Iranian authorities will stop at nothing to stamp out the peaceful protests that persist since the election."

Earlier this month, Iran's Prosecutor-General Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei [GlobalSecurity profile] called for sedition trials [JURIST report] against leaders of protests following last June's contested presidential election. The Iranian government has faced significant international scrutiny for its handling of the post-election protests and treatment of thousands arrested as a result. Last month, AI labeled [JURIST report] human rights violations committed by the Iranian government following the election among the worst of the past 20 years. In September, human rights groups called for [JURIST report] the UN General Assembly [official website] to appoint a special envoy to investigate allegations of rights violations. Alleged human rights abuses of detainees include sexual assault, beatings, and forced confessions [JURIST reports].