Iran hangs 3 people, including teen wrestler, in first executions over January protests

Iran on Thursday executed three men accused of killing police officers during protests in January, with activists warning of the risk of a new surge in hangings. war rages with Israel and the United States.

These were the first hangings carried out by Iran in connection with nationwide protests who were the subject of brutal repression by the authorities.

Two sources confirmed to CBS News that Saleh Mohammadi, a young member of the Iranian national wrestling team, was among three men executed in Iran.

Rights groups said the three men were executed without a fair trial and made confessions under torture.

Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi were hanged in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, after being found guilty of the capital crime of war against God, known as moharebeh under Iranian sharia law, the Mizan judicial news agency said.

They were found guilty of involvement in the assassination of two police officers and of having carried out “operational actions” in favor of Israel and the United States.

Of particular concern was the fate of Mohammadi, a teenage wrestling champion who had participated in international competitions and who, according to Amnesty International, was denied “an adequate defense and forced to make a ‘confession’… in a fast-track procedure that bore no resemblance to a proper trial.”

The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said that after the executions, the three men “were sentenced to death after an unfair trial, based on confessions obtained under torture.”

Mohammadi only turned 19 last week.

Iranian legal affairs observer Dadban added that they were “deprived of effective access to an independent lawyer and the right to defense” and that in such circumstances the use of the death penalty amounts to “extrajudicial execution.”

“Risk of mass executions”

The day before, Iranian authorities executed Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national, accused of spying for Israel, in a hanging strongly condemned by Stockholm and the European Union.

It was the first public announcement of such an execution since Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran on February 28, killing the supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and trigger the war that spread across the Middle East.

“We are deeply concerned about the risk of mass executions of protesters and political prisoners in the shadow of war,” Iran Human Rights said.

“These executions aim to sow fear in society, because the Islamic Republic knows that the main threat to its survival comes from the Iranian people who are demanding fundamental change,” the text adds.

Protests erupted in Iran in late December against the rising cost of living before escalating into nationwide anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8-9.

Rights groups accuse security forces of killing thousands of people during their crackdown on protests, which authorities blame on the United States and Israel.

US news agency Human Rights Activists News Agency has documented more than 7,000 killings, the vast majority of them protesters, while warning the toll could be much higher.

Tehran has acknowledged that more than 3,000 people died during the unrest, including members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, and attributed the violence to “terrorist acts”.

The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, warned that there would be “no leniency” for those found guilty of violence during the protests.

Iran Human Rights said hundreds of people face charges related to the protests that could result in their death sentences. President Donald Trump initially warned that the United States would attack Iran if it executed protesters, but later focused on its nuclear program.

Iran is the world’s most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups. Last year, at least 1,500 people were hanged, according to figures from Iran Human Rights.

The Islamic Republic has executed 13 people on charges related to the June 2025 war with Israel and 12 people for charges related to 2022-2023 nationwide protestsaccording to rights groups.