Iran executed three men on Thursday who were accused of killing police officers during nationwide protests in January, raising alarm among rights groups about a possible new wave of death sentences amid continuing tensions with Israel and the United States.
State-linked judiciary news agency Mizan reported the men were hanged in Qom after convictions for moharebeh, the capital charge often translated as ‘waging war against God.’ Authorities accused the three of involvement in the killing of two police officers and of carrying out what they described as ‘operational actions’ in favor of Israel and the U.S. The executed were identified by rights groups as Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi.
Two sources told CBS News that one of those executed, Saleh Mohammadi, was a young member of Iran’s national wrestling team and had recently turned 19. Amnesty International, Norway-based Iran Human Rights and other monitors say the three were tried rapidly, denied adequate defense, and coerced into confessions under torture. Legal monitor Abdolfattah Dadban said the men were deprived of effective access to independent counsel and the right to a meaningful defense.
A White House spokesperson, Olivia Wales, described the executions as further evidence of what she called “the Iranian terrorist regime,” framing the sentences as justification for U.S. policies toward Tehran.
Rights organizations warned that the recent hangings, the first explicitly linked to the January protests, follow a separate execution of Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian‑Swedish national hanged on espionage charges. That case drew condemnations from Stockholm and the European Union. Observers say the escalation of regional conflict and international pressure increases the risk of mass executions of protesters and political detainees.
The demonstrations began in late December over rising living costs and expanded into widespread anti-government protests that peaked on January 8 and 9. Human rights groups say security forces killed thousands during the crackdown. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, most of them protesters, while acknowledging the toll could be higher. Tehran has acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, including security personnel and bystanders, and has blamed ‘terrorist acts.’
Iran’s hardline judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has warned there will be ‘no leniency’ for those convicted of violent acts during the protests. Iran Human Rights reports hundreds of defendants still face charges that could carry the death penalty. The group also noted that Iran remains one of the world’s most frequent users of capital punishment after China, reporting at least 1,500 hangings last year.
Rights monitors say executions tied to the protests and to the 2025 war with Israel are intended to instill fear and suppress demands for fundamental change, and they are urging international scrutiny and pressure over what they describe as unfair trials and extrajudicial executions.