Iran executes man for killing police officer

Iranian authorities have executed a man for killing a police officer who was run over by a vehicle during clashes four years ago, the judiciary said Sunday.

The country has ramped up executions since the outbreak of the Middle East war in February and since anti-government protests erupted late last year.

“The death sentence for the killer of Reza Ehterami, a police officer serving in Iran’s police emergency unit, has been carried out,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website cited local prosecutor Aref Akbari as saying.

The execution went ahead after an investigation and trial, with the Supreme Court upholding the verdict, Akbari said.

The defendant, known in court as “Danial”, was convicted of intentionally killing Ehterami, a third lieutenant serving with law enforcement in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.

Ehterami was killed in 2022 during clashes between police and fuel smugglers. He was run over by a vehicle driven by the defendant, according to previous reports from state media.

Iran executes more people every year than any country except China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.

It imposes capital punishment for a range of offences, including murder.

Fuel prices in oil-rich Iran remain among the lowest in the world, encouraging widespread smuggling to neighbouring countries.