On April 30, 2026, Iranian authorities executed 21-year-old karate champion Sasan Azadvar at dawn, bringing the number of January 2026 protesters put to death to at least ten since the eve of the Persian New Year.
The execution was announced hours after Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i publicly ordered the judiciary to accelerate the issuance and implementation of death sentences, openly dismissing international calls to halt the executions.
🚨 Iran Judiciary Calls for Rapid "Enforcement of Sentences"
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) April 30, 2026
In recent remarks, Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eje’i called for accelerating judicial proceedings and enforcement of sentences.
“I emphasize again: these cases must be handled quickly, accurately, and… pic.twitter.com/M6yd7Un1eW
Eje’i Orders “Speedy” Implementation of Death Sentences
In a video published on April 30, Mohseni-Eje’i rejected criticism from abroad over Iran’s hanging spree and demanded faster verdicts and executions.
“Who are you to say there should be no executions?” he asked, before declaring: “Sentences should be issued sooner and implemented according to the law.”
Pattern of Protesters Executions Since March 19
Since March 19, the Iranian regime has carried out a rapid series of executions of young protesters arrested during the January 2026 uprising.
The ten confirmed cases are:
• March 19: Saleh Mohammadi (19, champion wrestler), Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi
• April 2: Amir Hossein Hatami (18)
• April 5: Shahin Vahedparast (31) and Mohammad Amin Biglari (19)
• April 6: Ali Fahim (23)
• April 21: Amirali Mirjafari
• April 25: Erfan Kiani
• April 30: Sasan Azadvar (21, provincial karate champion)
All ten were convicted on charges of “Moharebeh” (enmity against God) or related offences for their roles in the protests. The cases were tried in closed-door proceedings widely criticized by human rights organizations for lacking due process.
These executions exclude other political prisoners put to death during the same period. Human rights groups stress that the exact number of executions remains unknown, and many more January protesters are still at imminent risk of execution.
Protesters Crackdown Rooted in the January Uprising
The wave of executions follows the January 2026 protests, during which the regime faced one of its most serious challenges in years. In the immediate aftermath, state television broadcast staged forced confessions, some personally overseen by Mohseni-Eje’i — a figure already known internationally for his role in the 1988 massacre of tens of thousands of political prisoners.
One example from January 15 shows Eje’i questioning a female detainee in a forced confession broadcast by IRIB:
Eje’i: You were throwing blocks toward the crowd.
Detainee: It was officers. They were in their military uniforms.
🚨 In a staged forced confession aired by IRIB, Iran's Chief Justice appears to attempt to frame a female detainee for attacking ordinary citizens.
— Ehsan Eghbal Eslami (@Ehsaneghbale) January 15, 2026
Her exchange:
Eje'i: You were throwing blocks toward the crowd.
Detainee: It was officers. They were in their military uniforms. https://t.co/3UC1gWueVP pic.twitter.com/VRPbJScTrO
Infamous Judges and Sham Trials
Some of the death sentences, including those of Hatami, Vahedparast, Biglari and Fahim, were issued by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court under Judge Abolqasem Salavati, widely known as the “Hanging Judge.”
Judicial Mobilization During the War
The pace of executions intensified during the recent conflict. On April 19 and 20, Mohseni-Eje’i issued directives ordering courts to treat all acts of dissent as threats linked to “US and Israeli agendas,” demanding immediate verdicts and round-the-clock judicial work, including nights and Fridays.
🚨 IRAN: CHIEF JUSTICE EJEI DECLARES JUDICIAL WAR
— Ehsan Eghbal Eslami (@Ehsaneghbale) April 19, 2026
In an unprecedented directive, Mohseni-Ejei has ordered a total mobilization of the courts to crush dissent. Comparing judges to "combatants," he demanded they work nights and Fridays with no holidays.
He ordered prosecutors to… pic.twitter.com/gqMVBHy81T
Human rights groups report that detainees are subjected to torture and denied fair trials, with many convictions based on forced confessions obtained under duress.
🚨IRAN – PRETEXT FOR PURGE: Eje'i's command for “Immediate Verdicts”
— Ehsan Eghbal Eslami (@Ehsaneghbale) April 20, 2026
In a new directive, the regime’s Chief Justice Mohseni-Eje'i has moved to equate all acts of dissent with the agendas of the US and Israel.
In the video below (published on Monday), Ejei orders the Prosecutor… https://t.co/mUvXctFgt4 pic.twitter.com/t8If0bllYS
On Feb 20, Amnesty International warned that 30 January protesters are at risk of execution. Some of them undergoing “a fast-tracked, torture-tainted grossly unfair trial before Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran for alleged involvement in an 8 January 2026 fire” at a Basij base in Tehran province, “that killed two Basij agents.”