Iran puts two young protesters to death following January unrest

Authorities in Iran have put to death two young men who were detained during nationwide demonstrations earlier this year, according to rights monitors based in Norway.

The men, identified as Amirhossein Maleki and Amirhossein Ebrahimi, were hanged on Tuesday morning at the central prison in Isfahan. Rights group Hengaw stated both individuals were 20 years old, noting that Ebrahimi was an exceptional medical student. Another advocacy group, the Iran Human Rights Organisation, reported their ages as 19 and 20, adding that at least 36 people have now been executed in the country this year in connection with the January unrest.

The January demonstrations represented one of the most significant widespread uprisings against Iran's ruling establishment since the 1979 revolution. Security forces responded with a sweeping crackdown in which thousands lost their lives and tens of thousands were placed under arrest. International bodies, including a United Nations fact-finding mission and Amnesty International, have previously stated that the state's harsh measures reached the threshold of crimes against humanity, encompassing torture, rape, murder and forced disappearances.

Iran's judiciary-affiliated news agency, Mizan, confirmed the hangings on Tuesday, stating the pair had been convicted over the deaths of four security officers during an incident at Isfahan's Alikhani Square on January 8. The judiciary declared that the men were guilty of capital offences under Iranian law, specifically corruption on Earth and enmity against God. Such legal classifications are routinely brought against dissidents and demonstrators.

Rights advocates strongly criticised the legal process leading to the executions. The Iran Human Rights Organisation pointed to severe due process failures, including allegations that the defendants were tortured into making false admissions. The group noted that while state officials cited the killings of the officers to justify the punishments, neither of the executed men had faced formal murder charges. Three additional defendants linked to the same incident remain under threat of capital punishment, prompting the organisation to urge European governments to enact tangible measures rather than solely issuing statements of concern.

According to Hengaw, Ebrahimi had merely been travelling on his motorcycle toward his grandmother's home when he encountered a demonstration on January 8. Investigators later tracked his mobile phone to locate and detain him, after which he endured intense physical and psychological coercion to extract statements used against him.

The latest hangings take place amid an elevated wave of capital punishment across Iran. The Iran Human Rights Organisation estimates that 691 individuals have been executed nationwide this year, a surge unfolding against the backdrop of broader military tensions involving the United States and Israel.