Iranian January Protester Sentenced to Death for Throwing a Stone at Police

Every resident of a building on Tehran’s Sheikh Hadi Street was arrested after several stones were thrown from its rooftop at repressive forces during the January protests. Months later, four of those detained were sentenced to death, and the Supreme Court has now rejected the appeal of one of the defendants.

Information obtained by IranWire confirms that Branch 9 of the Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of Mohammad Reza Majidi-Asl, putting him at immediate risk of execution.

Majidi-Asl, a mobile phone technician, was arrested alongside his wife, Bita Hemmati; her brother, Amir Hemmati; and Behrouz and Kourosh Zamani-Nejad during the January protests.

Iman Afshari, the presiding judge of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, spoke to the families about the intended punishments even before legal proceedings concluded.

A source close to the case told IranWire that Afshari informed the families from the outset: “Make no mistake, I will have them all executed.”

Judge Afshari’s Promise: “I Will Execute Everyone”

Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court issued death sentences for four defendants: Mohammad Reza Majidi-Asl, Bita Hemmati, Behrouz Zamani-Nejad, and Kourosh Zamani-Nejad.

On April 13, 2026, IranWire reported that the charges against the four included “operational action for the hostile government of the United States and hostile groups.” All four were also sentenced to five years in prison for “assembly and collusion against national security,” alongside an order for asset confiscation.

Amir Hemmati, the fifth defendant, did not receive a death sentence; Branch 26 sentenced him to five years for “assembly and collusion” and eight months for “propaganda against the system.”

The verdict collectively attributes a wide range of actions to the four capital defendants, including participation in protest gatherings on January 8 and 9, chanting protest slogans, throwing bottles, concrete blocks, and incendiary items from the rooftop, damaging public property, using explosives and unspecified weapons, injuring deployed forces, sending content aimed at undermining security, moharebeh (enmity against God), and operational attempts to murder law enforcement personnel.

Crucially, the verdict fails to specify which individual committed which alleged act.

Sources told IranWire that the incident began at a residential building on Sheikh Hadi Street. After stones were thrown from the roof at repressive forces, security personnel breached the building on the night of January 9 and arrested all occupants.

A New Law to Impose the Death Penalty

The capital sentences were handed down under Article 1 of the “Law on Aggravating Punishment for Espionage and Cooperation with the Zionist Regime and Hostile States Against National Security and Interests,” legislation finalized in October 2025, just months prior to the protests.

Note 3 of Article 1 provides a broad definition of “operational action,” encompassing any act capable of causing fatalities, destroying public or private property, creating terror, or disrupting national communication, information, or infrastructure networks. Under this statute, actions deemed beneficial to a hostile foreign state carry the death penalty and asset forfeiture.

On May 22, IranWire reported that the Supreme Court initially overturned the death sentences for Majidi-Asl and Hemmati, remanding the case for retrial. However, a source close to the family noted that the Supreme Court’s procedural objections did not alter Judge Afshari’s stance.

Afshari reportedly told the defense lawyers and families upon the case’s return, "Do not think I will allow any sentence lighter than execution.” He added: “Be assured I will return the case to the Supreme Court with the same capital sentences and personally ensure each execution is carried out.”

Branch 9 of the Supreme Court formally rejected Majidi-Asl’s appeal on September 12. On August 22, Majidi-Asl, along with Behrouz and Kourosh Zamani-Nejad, was transferred from Greater Tehran Penitentiary to Ghezel Hesar Prison. All defendants have remained in temporary detention without bail since their arrests.

First Woman Detained in the January Protests Faces Execution

Bita Hemmati became the first woman detained during the January protests whose death sentence was publicly reported. Prior to her sentencing, state media broadcast a televised “confession” featuring Hemmati in the presence of Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i.

Recorded less than a week after her arrest while she was in security custody, the footage shows Hemmati stating that she threw a concrete block at security forces and dropped others alongside her husband and brother.

The case was raised internationally on May 28, when UN Special Rapporteurs sent a formal communication to the Islamic Republic expressing concern over claims of torture, arbitrary detention, and violations of fair trial standards in the cases of Hemmati and Majidi-Asl.

Beyond the severity of the sentence, the case highlights procedural irregularities, as multiple sources indicate that the judge announced the ultimate punishment before judicial reviews were completed.

Source: Iran Wire, Solmaz Eikdar, September 14, 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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