Iran executes man convicted over role in January protests

Sunday 16 August 2026 - 11:17

By: Sahili Aya

Iran executes man convicted over role in January protests

Iranian authorities have executed a man convicted of running over several police officers during anti-government demonstrations in January, according to Mizan, the news agency affiliated with the country’s judiciary.

Shahram Sadeghi was executed on Sunday after being sentenced to death over what Iranian authorities described as an operational action carried out in support of Israel and the United States. The case comes amid a wider increase in executions in Iran and renewed international scrutiny of the country’s use of capital punishment.

Authorities link execution to January unrest

According to Mizan, Sadeghi drove his vehicle into several police officers on January 8 in Karaj, a city west of Tehran. The judiciary’s news agency said seven officers were injured in the incident.

The execution is linked to a broader wave of unrest that began in late December, initially fueled by public anger over the rising cost of living before developing into nationwide anti-government demonstrations.

The protests reached their peak on January 8 and 9, prompting a forceful response from the authorities.

Iranian officials have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest and have attributed the violence to what they describe as terrorist acts backed by the United States and Israel. Overseas-based rights organizations have disputed the official narrative and reported that thousands of people were killed during the crackdown.

Executions rise amid heightened tensions

The latest execution comes against the backdrop of a sharp increase in the use of the death penalty in Iran.

Iranian authorities have carried out numerous executions since the start of the war triggered on February 28 by a US-Israeli offensive against Iran, according to the information cited by the French news agency AFP. A significant number of those executed have been convicted over alleged involvement in the January demonstrations.

The development has intensified concerns among international human rights organizations about the treatment of protesters and detainees facing capital punishment.

Iran Human Rights and Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), two organizations based outside Iran, recently reported that Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025. If confirmed, that would represent the highest annual figure recorded in the country since 1989.

Iran remains under international scrutiny

Iran’s extensive use of capital punishment has repeatedly drawn criticism from human rights organizations. Amnesty International and other groups have identified the country as one of the world’s most frequent users of the death penalty.

According to the organizations cited in the report, only China executes more people than Iran, although precise figures for China remain difficult to establish because of the secrecy surrounding capital punishment there.

The execution of Sadeghi is therefore likely to add to pressure on Tehran over its handling of the January protests, particularly as authorities continue to prosecute people accused of participating in the unrest.

For Iranian officials, such cases are presented as measures against individuals involved in violent or security-related offenses. Rights groups, meanwhile, have repeatedly warned that protesters can face severe sentences, including execution, following proceedings whose fairness they question.