Iran hangs two men over anti-government protests

Iran hanged two men on Wednesday over charges linked to anti-government protests that peaked in January, the judiciary announced.

The judiciary’s Mizan Online website identified the men as Ali Hemmati and Majid Nik-Andish. It said they were found guilty of involvement “in the riots of January that resulted in the martyrdom of four security personnel” in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Mizan Online said the men also damaged public property by setting fire to shops, banks, buses and trees. It said they were executed by hanging early Wednesday after the Supreme Court confirmed their sentences.

The protests began in late December over the high cost of living and developed into wider anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9.

Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths and attributed the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Foreign-based NGOs say security forces fired on protesters.

Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest annual number since 1989, according to Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty. Amnesty International says Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China.