Iranians protest public executions

What's happened

Iran has executed multiple men convicted over killings during January’s nationwide protests, including two public hangings in Isfahan’s Alikhani (Malekshahr) Square on 28 July. Videos and witnesses have shown residents chanting and trying to block the executions before security forces dispersed the crowd. Rights groups report a wider surge in executions and hunger strikes at Ghezel Hesar prison.

What's behind the headline?

What happened and why it matters

• Iran has carried out public executions of men convicted over violence during the January protests; videos and witness accounts show residents confronting authorities in Isfahan before forces dispersed the crowd and proceeded with hangings.
• Rights groups have documented an increase in politically charged death sentences since the January unrest and say many trials were closed, brief and relied on coerced confessions.

Who is driving the story

• The judiciary and state media have presented the executions as legal responses to "moharebeh" and "corruption on Earth," emphasising violent acts against security forces.
• Human-rights organisations and foreign outlets are documenting rapid trials, public backlash and prison hunger strikes, which is keeping international attention on Iran's use of capital punishment.

Immediate consequences

• The public resistance witnessed at the executions will increase domestic tensions and will likely force Iranian authorities to step up security measures in cities such as Isfahan.
• International pressure and NGO reports will increase calls for moratoriums and will push diplomatic actors to raise executions in negotiations.

What comes next

• The judiciary will continue to carry out sentences that it says target those who killed security personnel; rights groups say hundreds remain at risk and that more executions will follow unless international actors secure measures.
• Prisoner-led hunger strikes, including at Ghezel Hesar, are persisting and will continue to draw attention to executions, which will reinforce activism inside and outside Iran.

How we got here

The executions follow nationwide protests that began in late December 2025 and peaked on 8–9 January 2026. Security forces have arrested tens of thousands; rights groups say dozens have been sentenced and executed after fast-track Revolutionary Court trials lacking due process.

Our analysis

- France 24 (Ershad Alijani) reported that security forces erected a makeshift stage in Alikhani Square and that videos and witness accounts showed people chanting and clashing with police; the article noted an Instagram petition against the death penalty that drew about 500,000 signatures and cited Amnesty International on sharp rises in politically motivated executions. - The New Arab described residents gathering overnight to try to prevent the executions and quoted the Centre for Human Rights in Iran saying the demonstrations showed "ongoing defiance" despite repression; it cited Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) that placed the hangings at about 3:40am local time. - AP News and Mizan (reported via Iranian judiciary outlets and carried by multiple outlets including The Times of Israel) identified the executed men as Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amir Hossein Safari Hosseinabadi and said the judiciary accused them of killing four security officers during the January protests; AP noted rights groups’ concerns that tens of thousands were arrested after the protests. - New York Post, The Times of Israel and Independent provided additional reporting on related executions, UN and NGO warnings about unfair trials, and the UN human rights office statement that trials lacked clarity on individual responsibility; the Independent placed the hangings in Alikhani Square and highlighted UN experts saying at least 24 people have been executed for offences linked to the January protests. Taken together, state outlets are framing the hangings as punishment for violent crimes; independent and rights-based outlets are emphasising coerced confessions, closed-door hearings and public backlash captured on video. Direct witness descriptions and social-media video excerpts in France 24 and The New Arab give the clearest picture of local resistance against the executions.

Go deeper

• How many prisoners remain under sentence for January protest charges?
• What evidence have Iranian courts presented against those convicted?

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