Iran executes two more men in protest case

Iran’s judiciary said it executed Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raissi on October 5 over involvement in the deaths of four police officers during anti-government protests.

Authorities accused the two men of murdering the officers in the central city of Isfahan during protests that began in Tehran in December over economic grievances and later spread nationwide.

The judiciary’s Mizan Online website said Sepahi and Raissi were hanged after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict. It did not give their ages or specify the dates of their arrest or trial.

Mizan Online said the court sentenced the two men to death for membership in an armed group and undermining national security.

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

On Saturday, Iran announced the execution of another man convicted on charges including firing a military-grade weapon at police officers during the protests.

Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the largest number in any year since 1989, according to Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty. Amnesty International says Iran carries out more executions than any country except China.