Saleh Mohammadi was just 19-years-old when he was hanged (Image: AP)
Iran has put three men to death for their role in January’s nationwide uprising, in what rights groups reportedly fear is the first step towards a mass execution of the thousands still held in custody following the protests.
The judiciary confirmed the hangings of Mehdi Ghasemi, Saleh Mohammadi and Saeed Davvodi — convicted of killing two police officers during demonstrations in the holy city of Qom — making them the first protesters from the January revolt to be executed.
The uprising had its roots in economic desperation before swelling into a direct challenge to clerical rule. The regime’s response was ferocious: Iran International’s Editorial Board, citing documents it has reviewed, concluded that security forces killed more than 36,500 people in what it described as the bloodiest two-day crackdown on protesters in recorded history.
Tens of thousands more were swept into custody — the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organisation recorded approximately 40,000 arrests, while the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency tracked detentions running to more than 53,000.
Read more: 26-year old Erfan Soltani will be first Iran protestor to be hanged
Read more: Trump’s seven-word horror reaction to Iran protest mass hanging fears
‘Extrajudicial killings’
IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam told ITV News: “The protesters executed today were sentenced to death following grossly unfair trials, based on confessions extracted under torture and coercion. We consider these executions to constitute extrajudicial killings, carried out with the intent of creating terror to suppress political dissent.
“The Islamic Republic is fighting for its survival and knows that the greatest threat to its existence comes from the Iranian people who demand fundamental change.”
He added: “We are facing a very real and imminent risk of mass executions of protesters. The international community must act with urgency. The European Union, in particular, has an important role to play and should use all available diplomatic tools to help prevent further executions and protect the lives of those at risk.”
Race against time
Iran severed internet access when the war began on February 28, making independent verification of conditions inside the prison system extremely difficult. Before the blackout fell, IHRNGO had confirmed capital sentences against at least 27 demonstrators. Unverified accounts from inside the country put the number facing execution considerably higher, with hundreds more still awaiting trial on charges that carry the death penalty.
The regime has a well-documented record of securing convictions through confessions obtained under duress, with defendants routinely denied meaningful access to legal representation, reports ITV.
The three protestors are the first to be hanged over protests in December 2025 and January 2026 (Image: @IHRights/X)
Historical pattern
Tuesday’s hangings echo a wave of state killings that followed the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini — a 22-year-old detained by morality police for an alleged breach of the country’s dress code — which triggered the most sustained challenge to clerical rule in a generation.
Earlier this year Trump put Iran on notice, warning of consequences if the regime began executing protesters. The threat was rendered academic on February 28, when the US and Israel struck first — hitting what Washington described as nuclear weapons infrastructure in a move Tehran insists was unprovoked.
The conflict has since pulled in the broader region, with Iranian forces striking Gulf states that have aligned themselves with the American-led coalition and shutting down the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.