Iran Executes Two Protesters Over January Anti‑Government Demonstrations

Iran’s judiciary announced that 19‑year‑old Erfan Esfandiari and 23‑year‑old Gol‑Mohammad Mohammadi were hanged at dawn in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan, after the Supreme Court upheld their death sentences. The court found them responsible for tying police officers to a traffic sign, beating them with stones, dousing them with gasoline and setting them on fire during the large‑scale anti‑government protests that peaked on 8‑9 January.

The executions follow a broader crackdown: more than 1,639 people were executed in 2025, the highest annual total since 1989, according to NGOs Iran Human Rights and Ensemble contre la peine de mort. Iran reports over 3,000 deaths linked to the protest wave, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel, while international human‑rights groups cite thousands of protester deaths and widespread torture. Ten other defendants from the same case remain on death row and face imminent execution.

The state media described the two men as “very violent and ruthless troublemakers,” a label contested by rights advocates who view the trials as rushed and lacking independent legal counsel.