Protesters holding signs against the death penalty in Iran during a sit-in in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2026. (Credit: Amid Farahi/AFP)
Iran executed two men arrested over January protests in Isfahan in connection with the deaths of four police officers, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Monday.
Mizan said Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raeisi were sentenced to death on charges including "membership in an armed rebel group, waging war against God through carrying weapons and creating fear and insecurity, corruption on earth and incitement to war and killing."
It said the Supreme Court upheld their sentences and they were executed on Monday morning.
Iran had executed two other men last Wednesday in connection with the same protests.
The protests began in late December over the rising cost of living before quickly developing into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on Jan. 8 and 9.
The Iranian government acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Foreign-based rights groups, however, have reported a deadly crackdown that left thousands dead.
The Iranian government acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Foreign-based rights groups, however, have reported a deadly crackdown that left thousands dead.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military intervention in Iran before the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on the country on Feb. 28, triggering the wider war in the Middle East. Since then, arrests and executions have increased in Iran, including cases linked to the conflict and the earlier protests.
According to NGOs including Amnesty International, Iran is the world's second-highest user of the death penalty after China. Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, a record since 1989, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM).
