Iran hangs two on economic ‘corruption’ charges- IRNA

Two men, charged with economic “corruption,” were executed in Iran on Wednesday, official IRNA news agency reported.
Vahid Mazlumin, known as the “sultan of coins,” and his accomplice Mohammad Ismail Qasemi were found guilty of economic crimes and convicted to death sentence by an Iranian court in August. The ruling was later upheld by Iranian Supreme Court.
Mazlumin and Qasemi were charged with forming “a corruption network, disrupting the country’s economic, foreign currency and monetary system by carrying out illegal transactions and major smuggling of foreign currencies and coins,” according to Press TV.
A total of 11 more defendants in the case have received jail terms of up to 10 years, said Judiciary Spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.
Rights group Amnesty International described the executions as “horrific” and a violation of international law. “Use of the death penalty is appalling under any circumstances,” Amnesty said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that under international law “the death penalty is absolutely forbidden for non-lethal crimes, such as financial corruption”. Amnesty went on to say that the manner in which the trials were “fast-tracked” displayed a “brazen disregard” for due process.
Demand for gold coins and US dollars in Iran has soared as the country’s currency has declined in value.
In the wake of the latest round of US sanctions on Iran, the rial has fallen about 70% against the US dollar, while gold coins have grown more expensive. As a result, a cost of living crisis has seen demonstrators take to the streets against perceived corruption. The tough US sanctions on Iran target the country’s oil and finance sectors. Iran is heavily dependent on its exports of oil, and the renewed sanctions, if effective, would cause yet further damage to the economy.
Tehran has been battling instability in its financial markets since April, when the government attempted to stabilise currency prices by introducing a single official dollar exchange rate.
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