Iran executes man linked to anti-government protests

• Iran executed Siavash Jamshidi for firing a military-grade weapon at police during 2026 anti-government protests and other crimes, including conspiracy against national security.
• The protests began in December 2025 over living costs and escalated in January, causing over 3,000 deaths amid accusations of violence by both protesters and security forces.
• Since then, Iran has increased arrests and executions linked to the unrest and the Middle East war, with 1,639 executions in 2025, the highest since 1989, according to NGOs.

TEHRAN – Iran said on Oct 3 that it had executed a man convicted of a raft of charges, including firing a military-grade weapon at police officers during anti-government protests earlier in 2026.

Siavash Jamshidi was accused of targeting security personnel during mass demonstrations that peaked in January in which thousands of people were killed.

Since that time, the Iranian authorities have stepped up executions of convicts linked to the unrest.

“Jamshidi was sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh through brandishing and firing a firearm, as well as conspiracy and collusion against national security,” Iran’s judiciary said, using the legal term moharebeh to mean “waging war against God”.

The judiciary’s Mizan Online website said he was also found guilty of offences not related to the protests, including “fraud, making threats, theft, possession and carrying of an illegal military-grade weapon”.

Other charges included “complicity in kidnapping, brandishing a weapon to intimidate, and intentional infliction of bodily harm”.

Mizan said Jamshidi was “active” during the demonstrations, which were sparked in December 2025 by grievances over living costs in Iran, but peaked on Jan 8 and Jan 9 with huge rallies.

The Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths in the unrest, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Foreign-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) however maintain that Iranian security forces fired on protesters.

US President Donald Trump threatened at the time to intervene militarily in Iran. Weeks later in late February, the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on the Islamic republic, triggering the Middle East war.

Since then, arrests and executions have multiplied in Iran, linked both to the war and the protests.

In 2025, Iran executed at least 1,639 people, the largest number in any year since 1989, according to the NGOs Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty.

Amnesty International says Iran carries out more executions than any country except China. AFP