Simay Azadi – Iran’s judiciary announced on May 14 the execution of protester Mohammad Abbasi, who had been arrested during the January 2026 uprising in Malard, west of Tehran. The execution comes amid a rapid rise in death sentences tied to the January uprising.
Judiciary-linked media Mizan News Agency accused Abbasi of participating in what authorities described as “anti-security riots” and involvement in the killing of Colonel Shahin Dehghan, an officer reportedly involved in suppressing the protests. Officials claimed Abbasi attacked the officer with a bayonet during clashes on January 6, 2026, in the Sar Asiab area of Malard Province.
Reports also indicate that Abbasi’s daughter, Fatemeh Abbasi, who was arrested alongside him, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On May 4, Iranian authorities announced the execution of three protesters in Mashhad — Mehdi Rasouli, Mohammadreza Miri, and Ebrahim Dowlatabadi. Judiciary-linked media accused Rasouli and Miri of involvement in violent incidents during the unrest, including the killing of a Basij member, while Dowlatabadi was accused of leading protests in the Tabarsi area of Mashhad.
Since March 19, the Iranian regime has carried out a series of executions targeting young protesters arrested during the January 2026 uprising.
The confirmed executions include Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old champion wrestler; Mehdi Ghasemi; Saeed Davoudi; Amir Hossein Hatami, 18; Shahin Vahedparast, 31; Mohammad Amin Biglari, 19; Ali Fahim, 23; Amirali Mirjafari; Erfan Kiani; and Sasan Azadvar, a 21-year-old provincial karate champion.
Most were convicted on charges such as “Moharebeh,” or “enmity against God,” following proceedings widely criticized by human rights organizations for lacking due process and transparency.
On May 3, the judiciary announced the execution of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh in Urmia. Authorities accused him of involvement in the killing of a police officer and cited charges including road blockades and destruction of public property.
Abdollahzadeh had been arrested during the 2022 protests and was reportedly held under torture for months before being sentenced to death in September 2024.
Senior regime officials have openly defended the executions.
On May 13, the deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s Judicial Commission praised the judiciary for the “decisive” implementation of death sentences tied to the January uprising, describing the actions as “highly defensible.”
Days earlier, on May 8, Iran’s Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eje’i declared that the judiciary would “decisively try and punish traitorous elements,” while promising full support to intelligence and security agencies pursuing what he described as “spies, infiltrators and traitors.”