Iranian authorities continue to issue and carry out death sentences against individuals linked to the January 2026 nationwide protests, despite persistent concerns from human rights organizations regarding due process violations, forced confessions, and the use of capital punishment in politically sensitive cases.
Over the past week, Iranian authorities have announced the executions of three additional protest-related detainees, while courts have issued or reaffirmed death sentences against at least two other prisoners. These developments come amid an ongoing wave of executions that has intensified following the recent conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.
On June 3, Iran’s judiciary announced the execution of Mehrdad Mohammadinia and Ashkan Maleki, two men arrested during the January protests in Tehran. According to state media, the pair were accused of participating in the burning of the Jafari Mosque in Tehran’s Gisha neighborhood, damaging public property, obstructing roads, and clashing with security forces. Judicial authorities alleged that their actions endangered public security and contributed to unrest during the demonstrations.
The judiciary stated that both men were convicted on charges including cooperation with hostile governments, participation in operations against national security, destruction of public property, and creating public fear and insecurity. Their death sentences were reportedly upheld by the Supreme Court before being carried out.
Human rights organizations have raised serious concerns regarding the fairness of the proceedings. According to reports from rights monitors, both men were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison without being granted a final visit with their families. Advocacy groups further reported that they were denied access to independent legal representation and were deprived of basic fair trial guarantees throughout the judicial process.
One day later, on June 4, Iranian authorities announced the execution of Fathollah Avari, another detainee arrested in connection with the January protests. State media reported that Avari had been convicted of the murder of a police officer during demonstrations in Hamadan. Judicial authorities cited confessions, forensic evidence, surveillance footage, and complaints filed by the officer’s family as the basis for the conviction.
Human rights organizations, however, reported that Avari was executed without prior notice to his family and without a final visit, raising further concerns regarding transparency and procedural safeguards in protest-related cases. Rights groups have also questioned the circumstances under which confessions were obtained and the broader fairness of judicial proceedings involving protest detainees.
With these executions, human rights organizations estimate that at least 40 individuals connected to political, security, and protest-related cases have been executed since the outbreak of the recent war and subsequent domestic crackdown. The figure reflects a significant escalation in the use of capital punishment in cases linked to dissent, political activity, and national security allegations. At the same time, Iranian courts continue to issue new death sentences against individuals accused of involvement in the January protests.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Ali Kamali, a detainee currently held in Tehran Greater Prison, was sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of moharebeh (“enmity against God”). Kamali, who reportedly resides in Malaysia and had recently returned to Iran before his arrest, was detained during the protests on January 22, 2026. His case is currently under review by the Supreme Court. Limited information has been made public regarding the evidence presented against him or the details of his trial.
In a separate case, Yaqub Derakhshan, a political prisoner held in Lakan Prison in Rasht, has again been sentenced to death after a previous death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court and returned for reconsideration. Following a retrial before a parallel branch of the Revolutionary Court, Derakhshan was once again sentenced to death on charges of baghi (“armed rebellion against the state”). According to information published by HRANA, Derakhshan had previously been subjected to severe physical and psychological pressure during interrogations and was allegedly compelled to make self-incriminating statements that were later used as evidence against him. Authorities have released few details regarding the specific allegations supporting the charge or the evidence presented during the proceedings.
The latest executions and death sentences have renewed concerns among international human rights organizations regarding the increasing use of capital punishment in Iran. Rights groups have repeatedly documented allegations of torture, coerced confessions, denial of access to lawyers of choice, closed-door proceedings, and the broad application of national security charges in cases involving protesters and political detainees.
Particular concern has centered on the use of charges such as moharebeh and baghi, both of which carry the death penalty and have frequently been used against individuals accused of challenging state authority. Human rights advocates argue that these charges are often applied in ways that fail to meet international standards of legal certainty and due process. Iranian authorities reject such criticisms and maintain that all defendants receive fair trials under Iranian law.
Officials continue to characterize the January 2026 protests as a foreign-backed conspiracy and frequently describe those arrested in connection with the demonstrations as participants in efforts to destabilize the country. At the same time, senior judicial officials have publicly called for the rapid prosecution of individuals arrested during the protests and in connection with wartime security investigations. Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has repeatedly urged prosecutors and judges to expedite such cases and ensure that sentences are swiftly implemented.
The continued issuance and implementation of death sentences against protest detainees has heightened concerns that Iran’s expanding use of capital punishment is increasingly being deployed in response to political unrest. Human rights organizations continue to call for an immediate halt to executions, greater judicial transparency, independent monitoring of politically sensitive cases, and compliance with international fair trial standards.
The National Iranian American Council denounces these latest executions involving political cases amid allegations of torture, forced confessions, rushed and non-transparent proceedings and other violations of due process. We call on Iran to halt further executions, particularly those linked to political and protest-related cases, and to move into compliance with its international human rights obligations.