Iran: execution of a man in connection with an attack on a police station

Iranian authorities on Saturday executed a man convicted of involvement in the deadly attack on a police station in a region of the southeast of the country plagued by violence, the judiciary announced.

“The death sentence of Mohammad Aref Shahbakhsh – an agent linked to the terrorist group Jaish al-Adl – was carried out this morning, following the completion of legal proceedings,” said Mizan, the judiciary agency.

The Sunni separatist organization, Jaish al-Adl (“Army of Justice”), is banned in Iran, where it is considered terrorist, as well as in several countries, including China, Russia and the United States.

The man “was found guilty of baghi ​​(armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic) and moharabeh (war against God) for his involvement in the armed attack” of a police station in the town of Khach, in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan (south-east), explains Mizan.

“Several police officers” were killed or injured during the attack, according to Mizan, who did not specify the date of the events.

In September and October, clashes between security forces and armed groups, jihadists and traffickers, increased in the historically unstable region of Sistan-Baluchistan, and several soldiers were killed there.

On the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is one of the poorest provinces in Iran. It is home to a large Baloch population, the majority of whom practice Sunni Islam in a country with a Shiite majority.

According to NGOs, including Amnesty International, Iran is the country that uses the death penalty the most after China.