Iran officials sentence 5 to death for killing Basij troop

CAIRO (AP) — Iranian state media says authorities have sentenced five people to death for allegedly killing a paramilitary troop affiliated with Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Eleven others received lengthy prison sentences. The 13 men and three minors had been charged with killing the official from the Basij, a paramilitary volunteer branch of the IRG. That’s according to Tuesday’s report from IRNA, Iran’s state news agency. The five sentenced to death Monday were charged by Iran’s Revolutionary Court, along with eight others. Three boys were charged by Iran’s Criminal Court, according to the report. The courts provided no evidence to support any of the accusations. The sentencings come amid months of anti-government demonstrations.