ISTANBUL — The Iranian government has executed two people since protests erupted in September, following the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Iran's so-called "morality police."

On Dec. 8, Mohsen Shekari, 23, was the first to be put to death. He was hanged after taking part in protests in Tehran. Four days later, Majid-Reza Rahnavard, also 23, was executed publicly — his body was hanged from a crane in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Like Shekari, he was convicted of "waging war against God," a capital offense.

The executions are Tehran's main response to protests that swept the country since Amini's death, and they signal that Iran's clerical leadership feels it has few options other than brute force to quell the unrest.

A pro-government TV channel aired audio that was described as Rahnavard's confession to police. NPR could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the audio.

"Unfortunately, my own arrow hit my brother," the recording says — seen as a reference to the Basij militia members Rahnavard was convicted of fatally stabbing.