• Two men, Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki, were executed in Iran for their involvement in the January uprising protests.
• The mass protests in Iran, which began in response to the economic crisis, led to the violent suppression by the state and the death of thousands of protesters.
• Human rights groups have criticized Iran for its rigorous use of the death penalty, with at least 2,159 people executed in the country last year, the highest recorded figure since 1981.

Two more men have been executed in Iran in connection with the January uprising, the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency reported on Monday.

Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki were accused of acts including setting fire to a mosque during the mass protests.

The sentence was carried out on Monday morning, the report said.

More than a dozen executions have so far been carried out in connection with the protests. The demonstrations started at the end of December in response to the country's economic crisis and rapidly developed into mass protests against the authoritarian leadership.

The state violently suppressed the demonstrations. Thousands of protesters were killed.

For years, human rights groups have criticized the rigorous use of the death penalty in Iran, accusing the authorities of using executions as a tool of intimidation.

"The execution of protesters and prisoners on security-related charges is a tool of repression and public intimidation," the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization wrote on X

According to Amnesty International, at least 2,159 people were executed in Iran last year - the highest recorded figure since 1981. Death sentences against alleged spies and political prisoners have also been carried out in the context of the Iran war.