Executions in Iran

According to an article in the NY Times,six protesters caught the death penalty today for protests in December.The protesting they did was an annual tradition called feast of fire that goes back thousands of years to Zoroastrian times. That tradition was banned by the Iran government for decades because it's said to have UN-Islamic roots. Two men that were involved in the December protests were executed last month. That's very harsh to me and makes me thankful to be an American citizen. The United States may be corrupt in certain ways, but I do not understand getting sentenced to death because of a protest. Isn't that freedom of speech? Law is law. I guess. In Iran's case, you either have to fear the government or die. The protesters should have gotten punished. No doubt about that, but I think death was too cruel in that situation. I've never lived in Iran, and I'm not too familiar with their law and order system. It's not like the protesters were robbing stores and killing innocent people. The tradition includes jumping over fires followed by an Iranian version of trick or treat in which young people cover themselves head-to-toe in a chador and bang spoons in pots as they knock on neighbors’ doors for candy. I don't understand the cruel and harsh punishment for that, but law is law.