Iran has carried out the execution of three individuals accused of murdering two police officers during protests against the regime. Among them was Saleh Mohammadi, a champion wrestler aged 19, who was publicly hanged alongside Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi in Qom. Mohammadi was sentenced to death shortly after his arrest in February for the killing of a security agent during the protests in January. He denied the charges, alleging that his confessions were obtained through torture, but his claims were disregarded by the court without investigation. Ghasemi and Davoudi were also implicated in the killings of law enforcement officers on the same day.

These executions, the first officially linked to the protests that began the previous year, were reported by Mizan Online, the judiciary’s news agency. The individuals were found guilty of ‘moharebeh’, or ‘waging war against God’, a capital offense, and subsequently executed. Iran Human Rights criticized the executions, stating that they followed unfair trials based on coerced confessions and were carried out to suppress dissent.

According to Iran Human Rights, Mohammadi had recently turned 19, and Davoudi was to celebrate his 22nd birthday soon. The protests initially sparked by economic grievances escalated into widespread anti-government demonstrations in early January. The Iranian authorities cracked down on the protests, labeling them as foreign-instigated riots involving violence and vandalism. The government reported over 3,000 deaths during the unrest, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts.” However, the Human Rights Activists News Agency based in the US recorded more than 7,000 killings, suggesting the actual toll could be higher.