3 Iranian Men Executed Leaving Rights Groups Troubled

BEIRUT (AP) — Three young men were hanged in Iran this week, raising alarm among rights groups that a wave of executions may be underway as authorities facing relentless attacks from the U.S. and Israel seek to squelch public dissent. The three men are the first to be executed from among the tens of thousands who were arrested during a January crackdown on nationwide protests. They had been sentenced on charges of “waging war against God,” for allegedly killing two police officers during protests, but Amnesty International said the convictions came in “grossly unfair trials” that used confessions extracted by torture. Rights groups say more than 100 others could face death sentences.