Iran's judiciary on Wednesday announced the execution of a man convicted of killing a police officer during the wave of anti-government protests that swept the country earlier this year. Iran executes more people annually than any other nation besides China, according to rights groups, and has carried out a string of executions for security-related cases since the outbreak in February of war with Israel and the United States. "The death penalty has been carried out against Fathollah Avari, who had killed a police commander during the January protests in Hamedan" in western Iran, according to the judiciary's website, Mizan. No date was provided for Avari's arrest, trial or execution. On Wednesday, Iran's prosecutors accused Avari of "fatally stabbing a police officer" during a protest in Hamedan on January 8, at the height of the protests. In late December, a protest movement sparked by economic pains quickly expanded into mass anti-government rallies and was met by a crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands. Iranian authorities portrayed the protests as riots backed by the United States and Israel, and said the violence killed around 3,000 people. Rights groups abroad put the toll higher and accused the security forces of firing at demonstrators.
