Iran Executes Man Detained Over January 2026 Protests After Judiciary Says He Fired at Police

Iran executed a man on October 3, 2026, who was detained during protests in January over allegations he fired at police, the judiciary said according to Iran International, Reuters and multiple outlets. The judiciary said Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi fired at least three shots at police on January 8 and was arrested two days later with a handgun in Shahrekord in southwestern Iran. It accused him of contacting people online to organize anti-security activities and seeking payment for a mission, without identifying who was purported to be behind it.

The protests erupted on December 28, 2025, over economic hardship and swelled into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule in the Islamic Republic, according to parliamentary and human-rights sources. Iran blamed armed groups and operatives backed by the United States and Israel for involvement in the protests and for some of the violence. According to rights group HRANA, Iran carried out at least 52 executions on murder and drug-related charges during the protest period between January 5 and 14, 2026.

The October 3 execution is the latest in a series of protest-linked hangings that human-rights organizations say follow secretive proceedings marked by torture, forced confessions and the absence of due process. Iran Human Rights reported on October 3 that at least 32 protest detainees have been executed since March 18, 2026, representing an average rate of one protester execution per week. The continued executions signal Tehran's reliance on capital punishment as a tool of political repression despite international condemnation, with no sign the judiciary will reverse course on cases still pending.

Sources

Iran International, "Iran executes man arrested during January protests," October 3, 2026, iranintl.com Hana Human Rights Organization, "Islamic Republic of Iran Executes Another Protester: Siavash Jamshidi Kheyrabadi Hanged," October 3, 2026, hanahr.org Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) via Shabtab News, "Siavash Jamshidi-Kheirabadi Hanged; One January Protester Hanged Per Week Since March," October 3, 2026, english.shabtabnews.com HRANA, "Execution of at Least 52 Prisoners in Iran on Murder and Drug-Related Charges," January 16, 2026, en-hrana.org UK House of Commons Library, "Iran protests 2026: UK and international response," accessed October 4, 2026, commonslibrary.parliament.uk