Iran issues five death sentences in three days

Iranian courts issued three more death sentences for violence linked to protests over Mahsa Amini's death, the judiciary said on Wednesday, bringing to five the total handed down in three days.

One was convicted of attacking police officers with his car, killing one of them, the second had stabbed a security officer and the third tried to block traffic and spread "terror", the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported, citing the verdicts.

Five people went on trial on 29 October before the revolutionary court of Tehran, the judicial authority announced at the time.

Iran has been gripped by protests – which authorities claim are "riots" – since the 16 September death of Kurdish Iranian Amini, three days after her arrest by the morality police for an alleged breach of Iran's dress code for women. Amini's Kurdish first name can be spelt "Jina" or "Zhina".

Charges have been filed against more than 2,000 individuals in provinces across Iran in connection to the protests, according to the judiciary.

Mizan reported that an individual identified as Mohammad Ghobadlou was charged in Tehran with "corruption on earth", an offence punishable by death, for "attacking police with a car, which resulted in the death of one officer and the injury of five others".

Another of the five, Saeed Shirazi, faced the same charge for "inciting people to commit crimes against the country's security", Mizan said.

The three others, identified as Saman Seyedi, Mohammad Boroghani and Mohsen Rezazadeh, were all accused of "moharebeh", which means "war against God" – a charge that can also carry a death sentence.