Iranian authorities have sentenced four individuals, including a woman, to death in connection with the nationwide protests that began in January 2026, according to several rights organizations. The sentences were handed down by a Tehran Revolutionary Court, reaffirming the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment to crack down on dissent.
The four individuals sentenced are Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl and his wife Bita Hemmati, believed to be the first woman to receive a death sentence related to the protests, as well as two men named Behrouz Zamaninejad and Kourosh Zamaninejad. The couple and the two men lived in the same building in Tehran. The court was presided over by Judge Imam Afshari, notorious for handling political cases.
The Iranian judiciary accused the group of several charges, including “using explosives and weapons,” “harming stationed forces on-site,” and “throwing objects such as bottles, concrete blocks, and incendiary materials from rooftops,” as stated by the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran. Additionally, the defendants were alleged to have acted on behalf of the United States, according to reports from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center.
Bita Hemmati is believed to be the woman seen in a state television video in January, personally interrogated by Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center condemned the airing of forced confessions, calling it a violation of defendants’ rights.
This sentencing follows a harsh crackdown after the January protests, during which Iranian authorities reportedly killed thousands and arrested tens of thousands. At least seven people have already been executed in relation to the protests, including Saleh Mohammadi, a young wrestler on Iran’s national team.
Rights groups warn that beyond these executions, at least 26 others have received death sentences following expedited trials lacking due process, independent legal representation, and based primarily on confessions obtained under torture. Hundreds more detainees face charges that could lead to execution.
Why it matters
The expanded use of the death penalty signals an intensification of the Iranian government’s efforts to suppress political dissent, raising deep concerns about human rights abuses under the veneer of legal proceedings. The international community has voiced apprehension that capital punishment is being weaponized amid broader geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran’s conflicts with the United States and Israel.
Background
The January 2026 protests were triggered by socio-political grievances in Iran and swiftly escalated into widespread demonstrations against the government. The Iranian regime responded with a severe crackdown involving mass arrests, lethal force, and numerous death sentences. Human rights organizations consistently report that the judicial process for those detained in connection to the protests has been characterized by inadequate legal safeguards and forced confessions.
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