Iran executes 21-year-old karate champion amidst political death penalty surge

Tehran executed 21-year-old karate athlete Sassan Azadvar early Thursday after protest arrest, as UN and rights groups warn of a surge in executions and mass detentions since the start of the Iran war.

Iran’s judiciary has confirmed the execution of another detainee arrested during the recent protests, as the UN and other international human rights organisations reported a sharp rise in executions and arrests since the start of the Iran war in late February.

Sassan Azadvar Joonqani, a 21-year-old karate athlete detained during the early January protests, was executed early Thursday morning at Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, according to Iranian media.

A source close to the family of this political prisoner told Hrana that his funeral was held under tight security and that “only 10 of his relatives were allowed to attend”.

The UN has reported at least 21 executions and more than 4,000 arrests since the beginning of the war, warning of an escalating use of capital punishment in the current security environment.

According to the Iranian judiciary-run Mizan news agency, Azadvar was convicted of moharebeh or “enmity against God and “effective cooperation with the enemy.”

He was accused of attacking a vehicle carrying security forces with stones and clubs, breaking vehicle windows, and throwing stones and bricks at officers during the protests. The report did not claim any casualties among security forces.

Mizan also alleged that he attempted to prepare petrol to set a vehicle on fire, but did not succeed. The judiciary claimed that the trial was held with legal representation, but provided no further details on the proceedings.

However, the lawyers’ platform Dadban said the charges did not meet the legal definition of "enmity against God" under Iranian law.

Human rights group Hengaw said the case was marked by “serious legal ambiguities” and that the defendant’s lawyer maintained there was no credible evidence against him.

Hengaw also described Azadvar as a karate champion from Isfahan province and alleged that he was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture during detention to force a confession.

Azadvar was arrested on 8 January during nationwide protests in Isfahan and was initially placed in solitary confinement.

His death sentence was issued during the escalation of the Iran war and was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

The execution comes as Tehran continues a series of capital punishments linked to protest-related and security cases. The UN has stated that Iran executed 21 people and detained more than 4,000 individuals since the start of the war.

Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday that it recorded at least 19 executions in recent weeks, and warned of enforced disappearances and torture.

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei recently stated that courts should process cases of detainees “outside normal procedures” and at a faster pace. He also declared that Tehran would not heed international calls to halt executions.

Source: Euronews, Samira Hosseini, May 1, 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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