Iran Justice: Three Protest Leaders Executed
Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi, and Reza Zanganeh were put to death after the Supreme Court upheld convictions tied to the January unrest.
By Paula Delgado ·
Iran executed three men accused of leading armed protests in January.
State media confirmed the deaths of Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi, and Reza Zanganeh on November 8. The three faced charges for using Molotov cocktails, grenades, firearms, and bladed weapons during the demonstrations. Authorities alleged the group set fire to public facilities in Karaj, a city west of Tehran. The damage included an electricity substation that caused power outages in several local areas.
The Supreme Court upheld the convictions, according to the Tasnim news agency. The court found the men guilty of participating in operational activities for the Israeli Zionist regime, the United States, and other hostile groups. These executions continue a series of judicial actions linked to the recent protest movement. The unrest began in December 2025 due to high living costs and expanded into anti-government demonstrations. The protests peaked on January 8 and 9.
Iranian authorities reported that more than 3,000 people died during the turmoil. The government attributed the violence to terrorist acts orchestrated by the US and Israel. Foreign-based non-governmental organizations have provided higher casualty figures. The BBC received multiple accounts from Iranians stating that security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters. This wave of executions follows a pattern of increased judicial severity since US and Israeli strikes began in late February 2026.
Hassan Dioband was arrested on January 11 after investigations identified him as a suspect in attacks on public property. Ten other individuals were arrested for taking part in the unrest under his supervision. Reuters reported that these ten others received prison sentences ranging from five to ten years. Volker Türk, the United Nations human rights chief, expressed alarm at the rising number of death penalties. In August, Türk stated that at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges since March 19. Of those, 27 executions were directly linked to the January protests.
Amnesty International reported that Iran put at least 2,159 people to death last year. This figure is the highest recorded since 1981. The organization noted that this total included 45 executions of suspected dissidents on national security-related charges. Iran is considered the second-most prolific executioner in the world, following only China.
