Iran has executed two men convicted over the killing of four police officers in the central city of Isfahan during anti-government protests in January, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.
Amirhossein Maleki and Amirhossein Ebrahimi were sentenced to death for their alleged role in the killing of security forces on 8 January 2026, Fars said, as reported by Reuters. Their sentences were upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court.
Iran’s judiciary, through its Mizan Online outlet, described the pair as among the main perpetrators of the Isfahan crime, saying they were armed and present at the scene and had committed several criminal acts. It said they were sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh, waging war against God, and corruption on earth, through actions against national security.
That account rests solely on Iranian judiciary-linked and semi-official outlets. It has not been independently confirmed, and the reports available do not set out the evidence presented at trial, any defence case, or further detail about the proceedings beyond the Supreme Court having upheld the sentences. Readers should therefore treat the judiciary’s version of events as an allegation by the prosecuting authority, not as an independently established fact.
The January unrest began in late December 2025 amid a sharp fall in the Iranian currency and worsening economic conditions, before spreading from Tehran to cities across the country and developing into broader anti-government demonstrations. The protests peaked on 8 and 9 January, when deadly clashes were reported between protesters and security forces in several cities, with public buildings and police vehicles set on fire.
Official figures have put the number killed during the clashes at more than 3,000, including police and security personnel, while rights groups based outside Iran have cited higher figures. The wide gap between those counts underlines how contested the toll from January remains.
Tuesday’s executions are not the first in this case. In early October, authorities executed Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raissi for their involvement in the same Isfahan incident, according to judiciary reporting. Reports have also noted a rise in executions in Iran since the war with the United States and Israel began in late February, a conflict that has sharply reduced traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed up fuel prices.
Note: the featured image is a file photo of the ceiling of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, taken in 2008, not a photograph of the executions or the January protests.
Sources: Reuters, “Two men executed in Iran over killing of police officers during January protests, Fars news”, 3 November 2026, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/two-men-executed-iran-over-killing-police-officers-during-january-protests-fars-2026-11-03/ ; Iran judiciary’s Mizan Online, as reported 3 November 2026, https://enewspapermy.com/global/iran-hangs-two-men-over-killing-of-police-officers-enews-malaysia/
