Iran Executes Man Convicted of Running Over Police Officers During January Riots

Iran has executed a man convicted of deliberately running his vehicle into police officers during the unrest that swept parts of the country in January. The Judiciary’s Mizanonline news agency identified the convict as Shahram Sadeghi and reported that he was executed on Sunday morning after his death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.

According to Mizanonline, the Karaj Islamic Revolution Court had sentenced Sadeghi to death and ordered the confiscation of his assets on charges including “taking operational action in favor of the Zionist regime, the US, and hostile groups.” The report said Sadeghi deliberately drove his car at high speed into police officers near the Golzar intersection in Karaj, west of Tehran, on January 8, injuring seven officers, including one who reportedly remained in a coma for three months.

The report said Sadeghi fled the scene after setting his vehicle on fire and was later arrested at a drug rehabilitation center where he had been hiding. Following an investigation by the prosecutor’s office, an indictment was issued and the case was heard by the Karaj Islamic Revolution Court in the presence of his lawyer before the sentence was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court.