Iran | January Protester Hanged; IHRNGO Warns of Execution Escalation

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 15 July 2026: State media reported the execution of Mohammad Amini Dehaghani in connection to the January 2026 protests at an undisclosed location. No independent information is available about his case. Mohammad is the 21st protester to be executed in relation to the protests since 19 March.

Condemning Mohammad’s execution in the strongest terms, IHRNGO warns about the further escalation of executions in the coming weeks.

IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stated, "With the breakdown of the ceasefire and the resumption of the war, we are deeply concerned that the authorities will exploit the situation to intensify the execution of political prisoners. Hundreds of political prisoners and protesters are currently facing capital charges, and we estimate that around 100 have already been sentenced to death. The international community—and the European Union in particular—must make an immediate moratorium on executions a central issue in any dialogue or negotiations with the Islamic Republic.”

According to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency, Mohammad Amini Dehaghani, a January 2026 protester, was executed at an undisclosed location on 15 July 2026. He was arrested in connection to the protests in Dehaghan County, Isfahan Province, on 9 January 2026, and sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh (enmity against God) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth).

Mohammad was accused of blocking public roads, setting fire to the Dehaghan Governor's Office with a Molotov cocktail, and inciting a crowd to attack a local police station. He was further accused of attempting to discharge a stolen Kalashnikov rifle, spreading anti-state online propaganda and communicating with opposition channels. According to the report, CCTV footage and confessions were used as evidence against him.

IHRNGO has documented systemic violations of due process and fair trial rights in death penalty cases. On 16 May, the organisation warned that the Islamic Republic's judiciary is actively weaponising state-approved lawyers to facilitate and expedite the execution of arrested protesters. Families of death row prisoners are also routinely silenced through threats and coercion to prevent them from speaking out about their loved ones’ cases. Consequently, no independent information is available on many of these cases, including that of Mohammad Amini Dehaghani.

At least 21 protesters have been executed in relation to the January 2026 protests since 19 March, listed here in order of execution: Saleh Mohammadi, Saeed Davodi, Mehdi Ghasemi, Amirhossein Hatami, Mohammad Amin Biglari, Shahin Vahedparast Kolor, Ali Fahim, Amir Ali Mir Jafari, Erfan Kiani, Sasan Azadvar, Ebrahim Dolatabadnejad, Mehdi Rasouli, Mohammadreza Miri, Mohammad Abbasi, Abbas Akbari Feizabadi, Ashkan Maleki, Mehrdad Mohammadinia, Fathollah Avari, Javad Zamani, Abolfazl Saedi and Mohammad Amini Dehaghani.

Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a Kurdish “Woman, Life, Freedom” protester, was also executed during this period.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, July 15, 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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