Iran executes two men detained amid nationwide protests

Tehran [Iran], January 8 : Iran on Saturday executed a karate champion and volunteer children's coach amid a crackdown on protests, reported CNN.
Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were hanged early Saturday morning, state-affiliated Fars News reported.
The total number of people now known to have been executed in connection with the protests that have swept the country since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody on September 16 has reached four.
The pair, who allegedly took part in anti-regime protests last year, was convicted of killing Seyed Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the country's Basij paramilitary force, in Karaj on November 3, according to Iran's judiciary news agency Mizan.
Mohammad Hossein Aghasi, a lawyer advocating for Karami, posted to Twitter Saturday saying that Karami was not given final rights to speak to his family before his execution.
The lawyer added that Karami had begun a dry food hunger strike Wednesday as a form of protest against officials for not allowing Aghasi to represent him, reported CNN.
As many as 41 more protesters have received death sentences in recent months, according to statements from both Iranian officials and in Iranian media reviewed by CNN and 1500Tasvir, but the number could be much higher.
Meanwhile, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the European Union (EU) have urged Iran to halt all executions following the hanging of the pair.
"We deplore the execution of two more protesters, #MohammadMehdiKarami & #MohammadHosseini, following unfair trials based on forced confessions," the OHCHR said in a tweet on Saturday.
The EU said in a statement Saturday that it was "appalled" by the executions, calling it "yet another sign of the Iranian authorities' violent repression of civilian demonstrations," reported CNN.
Norway-based non-profit organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) also condemned the killings and warned "of the execution of a large number of protesters in the coming days if this is not met with an appropriate response," in a statement on Saturday.
Several major Hollywood stars including Cate Blanchett, Jason Momoa, Bryan Cranston and Olivia Wilde called for an end to executions in Iran in an online campaign launched Friday, reported CNN.
The campaign, which features more than 50 stars, was organized by Iranian American screenwriter and satirist Nicole Najafi, Iranian American director, writer and producer Ana Lily Amirpour, and Iranian American actress and writer Mozhan Marno.
In a video posted online, the featured celebrities hold up a white piece of paper with the caption "#StopExecutionsinIran" written across it.
Karami, 21, was an Iranian-Kurdish karate champion who sported a tattoo of the Olympic rings on the inside of his arm. His cousin told CNN that Karami was a brave, intelligent boy and got into karate at age 11. He went on to join the Iranian youth national team and later won the national championships.
Karami was convicted on December 5, less than a week after his trial began in Tehran over the alleged killing of the paramilitary.
Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, 20, was remembered for volunteering with children by a German parliamentarian who advocated his case.
"The story of #SeyedMohammadHosseini is so sad. He lost both his parents. He visited their graves every Thursday. He coaches kids for free," Ye-One Rhie wrote on Twitter.
Hosseini was arrested on his way to visit his parent's graves, according to Ye-One Rhie. His brother was also taken and has not been heard from, the parliamentarian said.
Meanwhile, the politics editor of the independent Iranian newspaper Etemad Online, Mehdi Beyk, was detained on Thursday, according to a tweet from the publication.
Iranian officials have previously arrested some individuals for their criticism of the government's response to the demonstrations, reported CNN.
One of Iran's best-known actresses, Taraneh Alidoosti, was released on bail Wednesday, state-aligned ISNA said, after she was arrested following her criticism of a protester's execution.
Known as a feminist activist, Alidoosti last month published a picture of herself on Instagram without the Islamic hijab and holding a sign reading "Women, Life, Freedom" to show support for the protest movement.
Alidoosti was not formally charged but was initially arrested for "lack of evidence for her claims" in relation to her protest against the hanging of Mohsen Shekari last month in the first known execution linked to the protests.