Iran has executed three men, Hassan Dioband, Hamid Kazemi, and Reza Zanganeh, for their alleged roles in armed unrest during anti-government protests in January. According to the state news agency Tasnim, the men were accused of using firearms, bladed weapons, and throwing grenades and Molotov cocktails to set fire to public facilities in Karaj, west of Tehran.
The Supreme Court upheld the convictions of the three men, finding them guilty of "participating in operational activities on behalf of the Israeli Zionist regime, the United States and hostile groups". The damage allegedly caused by the men included an electricity substation in Karaj, which resulted in power outages in certain areas.
Hassan Dioband was arrested on 11 January after investigations identified him as a suspect in incitement to violence and attacks on public property. Following his arrest, ten other individuals accused of participating in unrest under his supervision were also detained. While Tasnim reported these executions, Reuters news agency reported that the others received prison terms of 5 to 10 years.
These executions are part of a broader trend of capital punishment in Iran, which has increased since US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic began in late February. The protest movement began in December last year due to the high cost of living and peaked on 8 and 9 of January. Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest, blaming the violence on "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the US and Israel. However, foreign-based NGOs provided higher figures, and the BBC received multiple accounts from Iranians claiming security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, stated in August that he was alarmed by the rise in death penalties. He noted that at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges since 19 March, including 27 linked to the January protests.
Iran is thought to be the world's second-most prolific executioner after China. According to Amnesty International, the country put to death at least 2,159 people last year, the highest figure on record since 1981. That total included 45 executions of suspected dissidents on national security-related charges.
