Hashem Shaabani, a poet and human rights activist, was hanged on Jan. 27 for being an "enemy of God" and threatening national security. The 32-year-old was a founder of the Dialogue instate and advocated for ethnic Arabs in the province of Khuzestan. He had been imprisoned since February or March 2011. Human rights groups say he was forced to confess to "separatist terrorism." The Iranian government has executed 40 people since the beginning of 2014.
