Iran has executed three men convicted of taking part in armed unrest during the anti-government protests in January 2026. The death sentences of Hassan Divband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh were carried out after being upheld by the Supreme Court, Iranian state media reported.
The case is linked to protests in Karaj, west of Tehran, on January 8 and 9. Iran’s judiciary claims that the three carried out “operations in support of Israel, the United States and hostile groups” against national security and the country’s interests.
According to the indictment, they used firearms, grenades and “Molotov” cocktails, set public facilities on fire and damaged an electrical substation, leading to power outages in some areas. The judiciary said that “the three took part in armed actions and carried out operations in support of Israel and the United States”.
Hassan Divband was arrested on January 11 following an investigation by the provincial branch of the Ministry of Intelligence in Alborz. The authorities accused him of setting public property on fire and encouraging other people to carry out destructive acts.
Another 10 people were detained
Following Divband’s arrest, another 10 people were detained and accused of taking part in the protests and cooperating with him. The Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced the three men to death, while eight of the remaining defendants received prison sentences ranging from five to 10 years.
In addition to the death sentences, the court ordered the confiscation of Divband, Kazemi and Zanganeh’s property. Iran’s judiciary said that the procedure for seizing the assets is ongoing.
Human rights organizations challenge the trials
The executions are the latest linked to the January protests. According to a review by Human Rights Watch and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, cited by Iran International, in 16 of the 29 cases examined involving executed protesters, there had been no murder charge. The organizations claim that the authorities use expedited judicial procedures and confessions obtained through torture to intimidate their opponents.
Iranian authorities portray the protests as armed actions backed by foreign countries, while human rights organizations describe some of those convicted as political prisoners and call for fair trials.