Iran carried out the executions of two men identified as protest leaders on Tuesday in Shahrud County. The hangings form part of a wider campaign of state killings targeting dissent.
Iran executed Javad Zamani and Abolfazl Saedi after they were convicted of moharebeh, or waging war against God, along with corruption on earth, damaging property and crimes against national security. Authorities said the pair had used weapons during the armed unrest of early 2026.
Human rights groups condemned the executions, noting that the charges are routinely used to criminalize protest. The Center for Human Rights in Iran reported at least 22 political prisoners put to death between March 17 and April 27 this year.
Esfandiar Aban, director of research at the center, said the scale of such political use of the death penalty has not been seen since the 1980s. He added that young people who demanded freedom are now being marched to the gallows.