Secret and bloody executions; Exposing the Islamic Republic's role in the murder of protesters

Just months after the deadly crackdown on the January protests, reports reveal the swift and secret issuance and execution of death sentences against detainees, a process that human rights groups have described as a clear example of “extrajudicial killings” and the systematic use of the judicial system to eliminate protesters.

Nearly four months after the bloody crackdown on the January protests, a wave of secret executions and harsh sentences against detainees has revealed new dimensions of organized violence in the Islamic Republic. According to data released by the human rights organization Hengaw, thousands of people have been killed or arrested during these protests, and many of them are now facing death sentences, sentences that were issued in hasty procedures and without observing the most basic standards of due process.

These reports indicate that at least 35,000 citizens have lost their lives in the protests and nearly 40,000 have been arrested, a shocking statistic that demonstrates the extent of the repression that critics describe as a “crime against the people.” In the wake of this trend, at least 30 of those arrested have been sentenced to death, whose identities are known, and 13 of them have been executed in secret in prisons in Qom, Karaj, Mashhad, Rasht, and Isfahan.

Among those executed are names such as "Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi (executed on March 19, 2026 in Qom), Amir Hossein Hatami, Shahin Vahediparast-Klor, Ali Fahim, and Mohammad Amin Biglari (executed in early April 2026 in Qezl-Hesar Prison, Karaj), as well as individuals such as Erfan Kiani, Sasan Azadvar, Ebrahim Dowlatabadi, Mehdi Rasouli, and Mohammad Reza Miri;" who often lost their lives without public notification and in silence.

At the same time, dozens of other prisoners are at risk of execution. Many of them face charges such as “moharebeh,” a charge that has been repeatedly criticized by human rights groups as a tool to impose harsh sentences and eliminate political opponents.

What has added to the concerns most is the direct role of judges such as Abolghasem Salavati and Iman Afshari in issuing these sentences; figures who have been known for years for issuing harsh and controversial sentences against political activists and protesters. The courts that have issued these sentences have been likened by observers to “field courts” where defendants have been denied the right to independent counsel, effective defense, and a fair trial.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed deep concern that the government's deliberate internet shutdown has disrupted the flow of information, and in some cases, the identities of those executed have only been revealed after the verdict has been carried out. It has warned that many of those detained are in a state of "enforced disappearance" and could be executed at any moment without their families being informed.

The statement from the organization states that these sentences were “issued and executed too quickly and without completing a fair trial process,” and that dozens of other prisoners face a serious risk of execution. It also emphasizes that the denial of the right to “effective defense” and the deprivation of a “fair trial” are widely observed in these cases.

The organization continues to warn that the direct responsibility for these executions lies with the Islamic Republic's judicial system and security institutions, and calls on the international community not to remain silent in the face of this trend. According to Hengaw, "continued silence in the face of these crimes will be a green light for the Islamic Republic's execution machine."

In conclusion, this human rights organization has called for the immediate intervention of international institutions, increased diplomatic pressure, and the dispatch of fact-finding missions to Iranian prisons; a request that, if left unanswered, could lead to a continuation of the cycle of secret executions and physical elimination of protesters.