Woman among four more Iranians sentenced to death over protests: NGOs
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- Four people, including a woman, sentenced to death over January protests.
- Rights groups report rising executions and warn of intensified repression.
Iranian authorities have sentenced four additional people, including a woman, to death over protests that erupted in January this year, according to several human rights organizations on Tuesday.
The cases were heard by a Tehran Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Imam Afshari, who rights groups have previously criticized. The defendants were reportedly convicted of acting on behalf of the United States.
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The accused were identified as Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl, his wife Bita Hemmati, and two other men, Behrouz Zamaninejad and Kourosh Zamaninejad.
Allegations linked to protests
Authorities accused the group of throwing concrete blocks from a residential building at security forces during unrest in the capital. It was not immediately clear when the verdict was issued.
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Hemmati is believed to be the first woman sentenced to death in connection with the January protests, according to rights groups.
Concerns over due process
The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center said Hemmati previously appeared in a state television broadcast in January during an interrogation by judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, raising concerns about forced confessions.
Rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Iran’s judicial process, saying it relies on opaque trials and coerced statements.
Rising execution figures
Norway-based Iran Human Rights and France-based Together Against the Death Penalty said in a joint report that at least 1,639 people were executed in Iran in 2025, including 48 women.
They also warned that dozens of people arrested during the January protests have already been sentenced to death, with hundreds more facing similar charges.
Human rights groups say Iran has intensified use of capital punishment as a tool of political control following unrest and regional tensions.
