A crowd gathered outside the court building in Valletta on Saturday afternoon in solidarity with anti-government protesters in Iran.  

The protest in Valletta came in response to the latest news that Iran executed two men accused of killing a paramilitary force member following what was described as a "sham trial". 

“What has happened in the last two decades in Iran is horrible. The world doesn’t know the full text of what is happening there,” said Ashkan Shafigh, an Iranian national living in Malta who organised the event. 

“If young people are brave enough to protest there, then us coming out today is the least we can do.”     

While the crackdowns have sparked international condemnation from politicians and celebrities, Shafigh is doubtful of their impact.  

“The regime doesn’t care about international sanctions, hashtags or speeches,” he said, adding that economic sanctions only hurt Iran’s civilian population.  

“This revolution will only go somewhere if we continue to take to the streets.” 

Amnesty International condemned the latest executions as a "fast-tracked unfair group trial" of the two men which it said bore no "resemblance to a meaningful judicial proceeding". 

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), said both men "were subjected to torture, sentenced after sham trials... without the minimum standards for due process".

In a tweet, he said the latest executions "must have even stronger consequences" for Iran's regime and specifically urged "new and stronger sanctions against individuals and entities".

A picture held up by one of the demonstrators showing protestors in Iran. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.

Waves of protests have taken place across Iran in recent months following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16 while in police custody.  

Amini was arrested by the country’s notorious morality police for “improperly” wearing her hijab.   

In December, Iran announced it had scrapped the police unit after more than two months of protests.  

The latest hangings double the number of executions to four over the nationwide protests, which escalated since mid-September into calls for an end to Iran's clerical regime.