Iran sentences six to death over militia killing in protests

An Iranian court sentenced six men to death for killing a paramilitary force member during 2022 protests over a Kurdish woman's death in custody, Fars news agency reported.

Arman Aliverdi, a member of the Basij volunteer militia linked to the Revolutionary Guards, died of his injuries after being stabbed in the Tehran district of Ekbatan in November 2022.

Fars quoted Babak Paknia, the lawyer of one of the six defendants, as saying they had been issued the "primary sentence of retribution" over the 21-year-old's killing.

The verdict, from the 13th branch of the criminal court, could be appealed, he added on social media platform X.