Iran's judiciary starts indicting jailed demonstrators

The Iranian judiciary has issued its first indictments against several detained demonstrators amid a fierce crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests that erupted in late December 2025 over severe economic hardship and escalated into calls for regime change, according to reports from Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

The prosecutor's office in Tehran has filed charges against multiple individuals, with Tasnim reporting that cases involving especially serious "rioters" are being prioritized and handled separately. These include the charge of moharebeh ("waging war against God" or "enmity against God"), a capital offense under Iran's Islamic Penal Code that carries the death penalty.

Iran's judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eje'i, has called for harsh retribution against those responsible for killing security force members and police during the unrest. He emphasized that individuals who attacked police, targeted security facilities or damaged urban infrastructure must face swift prosecution, state media reported. Iran's Prosecutor General has similarly warned that protesters could face moharebeh charges, explicitly threatening capital punishment.

The judiciary has reiterated a policy of "maximum severity" in dealing with demonstrators, echoing earlier crackdowns. During the 2022-2023 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests—sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman arrested by morality police for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab—Iran executed at least eight protesters (with some sources citing up to 12 or more) on similar charges following trials widely criticized as unfair by human rights groups.

The current protests, which began Dec. 28, 2025, initially focused on inflation, currency collapse and rising costs of essentials but quickly spread across all 31 provinces with anti-regime slogans targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, including "Death to the Dictator." A near-total internet blackout has hindered independent verification of events.

Human rights organizations report significantly higher casualties:

Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) has confirmed at least 648 protesters killed, including at least nine children, with thousands injured and warns of risks of mass executions.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has documented at least 544 deaths (including protesters and security personnel) and over 10,000 arrests.

Some activist estimates suggest the toll could exceed several hundred to thousands when including unverified reports during blackouts, though official Iranian figures emphasize security force losses (state media reported over 100 officers and personnel killed).

Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented excessive force by security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and police, involving live ammunition, metal pellets and other methods that resulted in unlawful killings and injuries.

In a particularly alarming development, 26-year-old protester Erfan Soltani from Fardis, a suburb of Karaj near Tehran, faces imminent execution by hanging—the first reported death sentence explicitly tied to the current unrest. Soltani was arrested Jan. 8 (or Jan. 9, per some reports) during demonstrations.

According to sources close to his family and reports from IHR, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights and the National Union for Democracy in Iran, Soltani was charged with moharebeh after a rushed, opaque process in revolutionary courts. He was denied access to a lawyer, had no fair trial or appeal opportunity, and his family received only a brief 10-minute visit to say goodbye after being informed of the sentence around Jan. 11-12. The execution is reportedly scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 14.

Rights groups describe the case as a signal of escalation, with fears of rapid executions to deter dissent and potential public hangings. No official Iranian judiciary confirmation of Soltani's specific case has been issued, consistent with limited transparency during the unrest.

International calls have urged intervention to halt the execution and broader crackdown, amid warnings that such measures constitute crimes under international law.

Source: DPN, Agencies, AI, January 13, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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