Iran executed 14 prisoners on political charges in three weeks since the war began on 28 February, including protesters and alleged opposition members amid a continued internet shutdown.
The Tehran regime has executed at least 14 prisoners on political and security charges in the three weeks since the Iran war began on 28 February, amid a near-total internet shutdown that has lasted more than a month.
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Seven of those executed were arrested during January protests and accused of setting fire to a Basij base in eastern Tehran.
Six others had been sentenced to death for alleged links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq organisation — an Iranian opposition group that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, known as MEK — and one was executed on charges of spying for Israel during last summer's 12-day conflict.
Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, reported that at least 1,639 people were executed in 2025 and 975 in 2024. In January 2026 alone, at least 100 people were executed, she said in a report published on 9 March.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Iran's judiciary chief, said on Tuesday that sentences involving "confiscation of property and execution" for those linked to enemy groups should be carried out more quickly. "A full-scale war is under way against us," he said.
After protests on 7 and 8 January, Mohseni Ejei openly linked some protesters and detainees to Israel and called them "traitors". He said there would be no leniency in their punishment.
List of executions grows
The wave of executions began on 17 March with Iranian-Swedish dual national Kourosh Keyvani, who was executed on espionage charges.
On 18 March, three protesters arrested during the January demonstrations — Saleh Mohammadi, 19, Saeed Davoudi, 21, and Mehdi Ghasemi — were executed in Qom on political and security charges.
On 30 March, Akbar Daneshvar Kar and Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi were executed. They had been arrested two years earlier. Iran's judiciary said they were linked to the MEK and accused them of carrying out armed operations in Tehran.
Months before their execution, Sato had called on Iranian authorities to stop the sentences. In a letter dated 5 September 2025, she said they had been forced to confess under torture and prolonged solitary confinement.
They were subjected to severe physical and psychological abuse, denied access to lawyers and family members, and tried in short proceedings that did not meet fair trial standards, according to the letter.
The following day, officials executed Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghabadi, saying they were involved in armed activities and were members of the MEK.
The executions continued through early April. Amirhossein Hatami, 18, was executed on 2 April after being arrested during the January protests and accused in the Basij base fire case.
Two days later, authorities executed Abolhassan Montazer, 66, and Vahid Baniamerian, 33, on charges of membership in the MEK. They had been arrested in December 2022.
Mohammad Amin Biglari and Shahin Vahedparast were executed on 5 April in connection with the same case. Ali Fahim, 23, another protester connected to the Basij base incident, was executed the following day.
Disputed Basij base fire
The case involving seven people accused of attacking a Basij base in eastern Tehran has drawn particular scrutiny. All seven were eventually executed.
Authorities say the attack happened on 7 January during nationwide protests. The suspects were arrested the same night. Ten days later, state media aired videos showing what were described as confessions by five of them, presenting them as "misled youth" guided by "foreign-backed terrorist elements."
The seven defendants were tried about one month later, on 7 February, in Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, and were sentenced to death.
Human rights lawyers who reviewed videos from the scene say the footage shows individuals pushing people into the building and locking the doors.
These individuals appeared to be government agents because they could control access to the building, according to the lawyers.
Voices in the video can be heard shouting "don't push". The building was then set on fire, but it remains unclear who started it.
Those trapped inside reportedly moved upstairs and broke windows to breathe before being rescued by firefighters and immediately arrested.
Lawyers argue the incident may have been staged to create casualties and justify harsh punishments.
They also reject claims that the defendants were trying to obtain weapons, noting that some were not even protesters. Two were reportedly homeless individuals who had come to see what was happening.
Sato said the recent executions are "a continuation of a longstanding pattern of using the death penalty to suppress dissent."
She added that labelling protesters as terrorists or foreign agents was also seen during the 2022 protests that began with the death of Mahsa Amini.
Human rights groups say political prisoners in Iran are denied access to lawyers and forced to give confessions under torture, which are then used as evidence in court.
Sato noted that "national security" crimes in Iran are defined so broadly that almost any form of protest can fall under them. These laws are often used to silence dissent and restrict freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
Charges such as "waging war against God," "armed rebellion," "corruption on Earth," espionage and "acting against national security" are frequently brought without sufficient evidence in courts that lack transparency and fair trial standards.
Since only about 7% of executions are officially announced, the real number is likely much higher, Sato said. Some opposition groups claim that more than 300 people have been executed so far this year.
Mass arrests and detentions
Since military actions began on 28 February, a new wave of arrests and enforced disappearances has been reported. Many detainees are accused of links to foreign media or helping injured protesters.
Iranian state media reported around 3,000 arrests on 16 January. Human rights groups estimate the real number may be in the tens of thousands.
Those detained include doctors, students, artists, writers, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders.
The judiciary confirmed that around 9,000 indictments have been issued.
A list submitted to Sato on 16 February documented more than 100 detained healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and medical students.
Some were reportedly tortured after arrest, and the whereabouts of many remain unknown.
Some face charges such as "waging war against God" for treating injured protesters. Others were arrested for resisting security forces who tried to detain the wounded.
Reports also indicate deaths in custody. Hossein Ghavi, a 28-year-old man with a disability from Ahvaz, reportedly died in a Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) detention facility.