Iran executed two men on Sunday in connection with January anti-government protests, with the judiciary saying they had been convicted of acting in support of hostile foreign powers. The executions highlight a broader increase in the use of the death penalty since the start of the Middle East war in February.
Two Executions, Two Accounts
The judiciary's Mizan Online website announced the execution of Majid Adineh, who had been accused of carrying a chainsaw during the protests and was charged with acting as an agent of Israel and the United States. According to Mizan, Adineh had been convicted of "operational action in favour of hostile groups" in nationwide rallies that broke out late last year. The report added that he was accused of "deliberate arson, gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country's internal security."
In a separate announcement, Mizan reported the execution of Shahram Sadeghi, who had been convicted of running over several police officers with his car on January 8 in Karaj, west of Tehran, wounding seven of them. Mizan's statement read: "Shahram Sadeghi, sentenced to death for having carried out an operational action in support of the Zionist regime and the United States, was executed this morning."
While most outlets focused on the Adineh case, The Hindu and Times of Israel reported the execution of Sadeghi, with both quoting the same Mizan statement. The Times of Israel noted that Iran frequently accuses individuals of spying for Israel and the US without providing evidence.
The conflicting reports raise questions about the identity of the executed individual, with different names given in the two sets of accounts. The demonstrations began in late December over high living costs and grew into widespread anti-government protests that peaked on January 8 and 9, as reported by all outlets covering the story.
Judicial Process and Context
In the Adineh case, Mizan said the Karaj Revolutionary Court had sentenced him to death and confiscation of all his property, citing "numerous documents and evidence in the case and the defendant's statements." His appeal was unsuccessful, and the Supreme Court upheld the verdict. The execution was carried out on the morning of August 23, according to The Straits Times.
Adineh and another suspect were arrested on January 9 in Alborz province, west of Tehran, carrying "a revolver, ammunition, two tasers, two tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw, and a bottle of gasoline," Mizan added, as reported by multiple outlets.
Adineh was described by several outlets, including Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express, as one of a string of people put to death over the protests. In the Sadeghi case, The Hindu reported that the incident occurred on January 8 in Karaj, and Mizan's statement linked the execution to the broader unrest.
Rising Executions Since the War
All outlets covering the story noted that the number of executions in Iran has risen since the start of the Middle East war, which broke out on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Some outlets, including The Hindu and The Straits Times, referred to this as the "West Asia war."
According to reports, a large number of the executions have been linked to the January protests, with other cases related to the war. Iranian authorities have reported more than 3,000 deaths from the unrest, attributing the violence to "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel. However, The Hindu noted that rights groups based abroad maintain that security forces fired on protesters during the unrest.
The Times of Israel offered a more critical perspective, stating that protesters were "brutally repressed by the regime, which used deadly force against the masses," with deaths estimated in the thousands and even tens of thousands. The outlet also included a tweet from activist Masih Alinejad lamenting the execution of Shahram Sadeghi, calling him "a young protester from the January uprising."
All outlets reported that Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people last year, a record high since 1989, according to Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway, and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), headquartered in Paris. Additionally, according to Amnesty International, Iran conducts the second most executions of any country, after China.
The executions are part of a pattern of increased capital punishment in Iran, which has drawn international scrutiny. The conflicting reports on the identity of the executed individual(s) remain unresolved, with no single official source confirming both names.