Iran Intensifies Executions of Protesters and Alleged Foreign Agents

The Iranian government has intensified a campaign of executions and mass killings targeting protesters and dissidents, coinciding with a period of internal crisis and broader regional conflict involving the United States and Israel.

According to reports and documentation from human rights organizations, the 2026 Iran massacres are part of a larger wave of unrest known as the 2025–26 Iranian protests. These events have resulted in an estimated death toll ranging from 3,117 to 36,500 people, killed through mass shootings, summary executions, torture and mass murder carried out by the government of Iran and allied foreign militias.

Recent Executions and Imminent Risks

Amnesty International has reported a surge in secret and arbitrary executions. On April 2, 2026, teenage protester Amirhossein Hatami was executed in Ghezel Hesar prison. This followed the secret executions of four other dissidents: Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi.

Further risks remain for several other individuals. Amnesty International identified five protesters sentenced in the same case as Hatami who are at risk of execution: Mohammad Amin Biglari, Ali Fahim, Abolfazl Salehi Siavashani, and Shahin Vahedparast Kolo. Dissidents Vahid Bani Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer have been reported as being at imminent risk after their transfer to an undisclosed location on March 30, 2026.

Earlier in March, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) reported the public hanging of three young men in Qom on March 19, 2026. The executed individuals were Saleh Mohammadi, 19. Saeed Davoudi, 21; and Mehdi Ghasemi. All three had been arrested during protests in January and were convicted of waging war against God based on trials that CHRI described as lacking due process and relying on confessions obtained under torture.

Systemic Crackdown and Legal Proceedings

The crackdown includes widespread arrests and fast-tracked legal proceedings. The Center for Human Rights in Iran has noted that at least 1,500 people have been arrested as the state intensifies its domestic operations. Tens of thousands of detainees from January protests, as well as hundreds arrested during the current war, face the possibility of death sentences through accelerated trials.

The Iranian judiciary has also targeted individuals accused of foreign ties. Reports indicate the execution of men convicted of having links to Israel and the United States during the period of unrest.

Executing these young protesters in public, after sham trials built on torture and forced confessions, is state-sanctioned murder designed to terrorize the population and send a clear message: any act of dissent will be met with death

Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI)

Broader Conflict Context

These internal massacres are occurring alongside a complex series of external conflicts. The Iranian state is currently engaged in a conflict with the United States and Israel, characterized by aerial bombardments and strikes on various infrastructure. These include attacks on the Qeshm Island desalination plant, the Kharg Island attack, and the South Pars field attack.

The internal instability is further compounded by an economic crisis and the 2025–2026 Iranian protests. Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, stated that authorities are weaponizing the death penalty to eradicate dissenting voices and further terrify people while the population is already reeling from conflict and mass bereavement.

The scale of the current violence is being compared to previous historical events in the Islamic Republic. Historical records include the 1981-1982 Iran Massacres, which saw 3,400 executions, and the 1988 executions, where estimates range from 1,000 to 30,000 deaths.