ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Thursday executed another protester detained during the January anti-government protests, accusing him of collaborating with “the enemy” after allegedly attacking police in the central city of Isfahan.
The execution brings the total number of people put to death to 22 since the outbreak of the six-week war in late February.
“Sasan Azadvar was hanged for effectively collaborating with the enemy by attacking police officers during the January unrest with the intention of opposing the system, inciting violence, undermining national security, and encouraging unrest,” the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported.
In the meantime, three political prisoners on death row in Urmia - Nasser Bekerzadeh, Yaqoob Karimpour, and Mehrab Abdullahzadeh - have been placed in isolation in Urmia prison under unclear circumstances, raising fears that their executions may be imminent.
In mid-April, Iranian officials signaled plans to fast-track trials for thousands detained during the war, raising concerns among rights groups about a potential surge in executions under wartime conditions.
Several participants in the January protests have been executed in recent weeks, following the February 28 strikes by the United States and Israel that triggered six weeks of hostilities across Iran.
Security forces reportedly detained more than 20,000 people during the unrest and the conflict, many on charges of collaboration with the enemy - an offense punishable by death.
Human rights organizations have warned that the rising number of executions is being used to suppress dissent.
According to Iran Human Rights, at least 44 protesters currently face execution after receiving death sentences. The group said documented cases include "two women and three teenagers who were reportedly under 18 at the time of arrest. Hundreds more protesters remain at risk of death penalty charges and sentences."
The organization also reported that nine protesters have already been executed in connection with the December 2025–January 2026 protests, all since March 19.
The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, said Wednesday he was “appalled” by the surge in executions, urging Iranian authorities to halt them, establish a moratorium on capital punishment, ensure due process, and release those arbitrarily detained.
Meanwhile, the UN human rights office said that since the war began, Iranian authorities have executed at least nine people linked to the January protests, ten for alleged membership in opposition groups, and two on espionage charges.
Separately, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that Iran carried out 2,063 executions in 2025 - the highest figure recorded in roughly three and a half decades.
Updated at 7:54pm