Iran hangs 3, including teen wrestler, in first executions over Jan. protests

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Iran executed 3 men connected Thursday who were accused of sidesplitting constabulary officers during protests successful January, with activists informing of the hazard of a caller surge successful hangings arsenic war rages with Israel and the United States.

They were the archetypal hangings Iran has carried retired related to the nationwide demonstrations that were met with a brutal crackdown by the authorities.

Two sources confirmed to CBS News that Saleh Mohammadi, a young subordinate of Iran's nationalist wrestling team, was among the 3 men executed successful Iran.

Rights groups said the trio were executed without a just proceedings and had fixed confessions nether torture.

Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi were hanged successful the metropolis of Qom, southbound of Tehran, aft being convicted of the superior transgression of waging warfare against God, known arsenic moharebeh nether Iran's sharia, the judiciary's Mizan quality bureau said.

They had been recovered blameworthy of engagement successful the sidesplitting of 2 constabulary officers and carrying retired "operational actions" successful favour of Israel and the United States.

There had been peculiar interest implicit the destiny of Mohammadi, a teenage wrestling champion who had taken portion successful planetary competitions, who, according to Amnesty International, was denied "adequate defence and forced to marque 'confessions'... successful fast-tracked proceedings that bore nary resemblance to a meaningful trial".

Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said aft the executions the 3 "had been sentenced to decease pursuing an unfair trial, based connected confessions obtained nether torture."

It said Mohammadi had lone turned 19 past week.

Iranian ineligible affairs show Dadban added that they were "deprived of effectual entree to autarkic counsel and the close to defense" and nether specified circumstances, the usage of the decease punishment resembles an "extrajudicial killing."

"Risk of wide executions"

Iranian authorities a time earlier executed Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national, connected charges of spying for Israel, successful a hanging powerfully condemned by Stockholm and the European Union.

That was the archetypal nationalist announcement of specified an execution since Israel and the U.S. launched strikes connected Iran connected February 28, sidesplitting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering the war that has spread crossed the Middle East.

"We are profoundly acrophobic astir the hazard of wide executions of protesters and governmental prisoners successful the shadiness of war," said Iran Human Rights.

State media reported the executions of protesters Saleh Mohammadi, Saeed Davodi and Mehdi Ghasemi who were accused of participating successful the murders of 2 policemen during protests successful Qom connected 8 January 2026. The executions were carried retired “in the beingness of a radical of radical in… pic.twitter.com/nL9LmLaclp

— Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) (@IHRights) March 19, 2026

"These executions are carried retired to dispersed fearfulness successful the society, arsenic the Islamic Republic knows that the main menace to its endurance comes from the Iranian radical demanding cardinal change," it added.

Protests broke retired successful Iran successful precocious December against the rising outgo of surviving earlier morphing into nationwide anti-government demonstrations that peaked connected January 8 and 9.

Rights groups impeach information forces of sidesplitting thousands successful their crackdown connected the protests, which authorities blamed connected the U.S. and Israel.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has recorded much than 7,000 killings, with the immense bulk being protesters, portion informing the toll could beryllium acold higher.

Tehran has acknowledged that much than 3,000 radical died during the unrest, including members of the information forces and guiltless bystanders, and attributed the unit to "terrorist acts."

Iran's hardline judiciary main Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has warned determination volition beryllium "no leniency" against those convicted of convulsive acts during the protests.

Iran Human Rights has said hundreds of radical are facing charges linked to the protests that could spot them sentenced to death. President Donald Trump initially warned the U.S. would onslaught Iran if it executed protesters but subsequently focused connected its atomic program.

Iran is the world's astir prolific executioner aft China, according to rights groups. Last twelvemonth it hanged astatine slightest 1,500 people, according to figures from Iran Human Rights.

The Islamic Republic executed 13 radical connected charges related to the 2025 June warfare with Israel and 12 radical connected charges related to 2022-2023 nationwide protests, according to rights groups.

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