Amnesty International: execution of five January uprising protesters in one week is a tool of intimidation

In a new statement on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, Amnesty International condemned the execution of five protesters from the January uprising within one week, saying the Islamic Republic has turned the death penalty into a weapon to intimidate society and raise the cost of protest. The organisation urged the world's states to prevent further executions through coordinated diplomatic pressure.

According to Amnesty International, Ali Hemmati Sistanian and Majid Nikandish were executed in Mashhad on 30 September, Siavash Jamshidi Khairabadi in Shahrekord on 3 October, and Alireza Raisi and Alireza Sepahi in Isfahan on 5 October. Siavash Jamshidi Khairabadi was executed on a charge of "moharebeh" ("waging war against God") over an alleged shooting during the protests, while Alireza Raisi and Alireza Sepahi were among the defendants in the collective "Alikhani Square" case in Isfahan, which relates to the events of 8 January.

Revolutionary Court trial and forced confessions

Amnesty International said these cases followed the same pattern: the defendants were denied access to a lawyer during interrogation, their allegations of torture were never investigated, and forced confessions broadcast on state television were used as evidence in the Revolutionary Court. According to the organisation, Alireza Sepahi had reported prolonged solitary confinement, beatings and electric shocks. His lawyer, Amirsalar Davoudi, was arrested after criticising the trial process; the Isfahan judiciary had named the publication of the audio of Alireza Sepahi's wedding ceremony as one of the reasons for the arrest.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, called the executions a horrifying reminder of how the Islamic Republic's officials use execution as a weapon. According to the organisation, at least 34 people have so far been executed in cases linked to the January uprising, and a large number of others are at risk of political execution. Amnesty International called on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Iran to the International Criminal Court.

The wave of executions continues

On the same day, Iran Human Rights reported the execution of three more prisoners: Mehdi Ranjbaran, sentenced to qisas (retribution) on a charge of "intentional murder", was executed in Semnan Central Prison, and Masoud Khodayari and Behnam Mozaffarzadeh were executed in Rasht prison in separate cases on drug-related charges. HRANA had earlier announced that the Islamic Republic has executed at least 2,003 people in the past year, the highest figure in a decade.

Amnesty International: at least 34 protesters from the January uprising have been executed so far, and more are at risk.