Public Executions Met with Defiance
Iran's Islamic Republic carried out a rare public execution of two protesters at dawn on July 28 in the central city of Isfahan, but the event did not unfold as authorities intended. Abolfazl Sepahi and Amir Safari were hanged from a makeshift stage erected in Alikhani Square — the same location where authorities claim four police officers were killed by protesters during anti-regime demonstrations in January 2026.
Several hundred people assembled near the stage, but rather than supporting the execution, the crowd erupted in anti-police chants. Anti-riot units moved in to disperse them, chasing people through nearby streets and alleys with Tasers, tear gas, and warning shots, according to multiple witnesses. Short videos circulating on social media appeared to corroborate these accounts.
The reaction extended well beyond the streets. An online petition against the death penalty drew approximately 500,000 signatures on Instagram alone within a single day, signaling broad and rapid mobilization against the regime's use of capital punishment.
The January 2026 Protests and Their Aftermath
Sepahi and Safari were among at least 12 young men sentenced to death for the killing of four police officers during anti-regime protests in Isfahan in January 2026. Two of the other men had already been executed in prison on July 19. According to Amnesty International, at least 52 people have been arbitrarily executed since the beginning of the year in connection with the January 2026 protests, following what the organization described as "torture-tainted, grossly unfair trials by Revolutionary Courts."
Iran's last politically motivated public execution before this event took place in 2022, when Majidreza Rahnavard was put to death. He had been charged with killing a member of the security forces in Mashhad during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. According to the independent newspaper Shargh, at least 88 people were publicly executed in Iran between 2011 and 2023.
Public and mass executions are not new in the Islamic Republic. They began in the earliest days following the regime's establishment in 1979 and, during certain periods, took place daily. The January 2026 protests were described as the largest anti-regime demonstrations Iran had seen in years.
Coerced Confessions and UN Condemnation
State television channels aired purported confessions of the four young men executed on July 19 and 28, in which they appeared to admit involvement in the killing of the four security officers. However, the fairness of the proceedings has been sharply questioned by international human rights bodies.
A group of UN human rights experts stated on July 27: "Confessions obtained under coercion must never be admitted as evidence, and broadcasting them before trial violates the presumption of innocence."
A lawyer and human rights activist in Iran, identified only as "Kaveh" for security reasons, noted that beyond what official news agencies reported, very little is known about the case. Authorities claimed that on January 8, 2026, four police officers were killed by protesters in Alikhani Square. Over the following days, police arrested several people they said were involved, and months later, courts sentenced 12 of them to death.
Kaveh pointed out that it remains unknown whether those executed were directly involved in the incident or simply present at the protest. It is also unclear whether they were allowed to choose their own lawyers, whether they were represented by court-appointed lawyers, or whether those lawyers defended them effectively.
The "Trump Factor" and Regional Instability
Iranian human rights activists say a "Trump factor" may have encouraged the regime to accelerate its political executions. In January 2026, Trump claimed that Iran had stopped the executions of hundreds of protesters at his request and thanked the Iranian leadership.
According to Kaveh, the Islamic Republic passed a special law during the 12-day war in June 2025 and has since adopted a new strategy for repressing protesters, particularly those involved in the January 2026 demonstrations. He identified three factors at play: the killing of police officers during the protests, the new repressive legal framework, and the Trump factor.