Human Rights Groups Say Iran Is Using Executions to Crush Protests

So here's the deal: as Iran's war with Israel and the U.S. drags on, human rights groups say the Iranian government is using its execution machine as a political weapon — hanging people connected to the huge anti-government protests that broke out back in January, not just "criminals."

According to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, at least 511 people have been executed so far in 2026, including at least 29 people in connection with anti-government protests in January. That tally also includes at least 16 women and at least 13 "political prisoners" affiliated with banned opposition groups. Activists say this isn't a coincidence — they accuse Iran of using capital punishment as a means to intimidate the population in the wake of the protests and the war against the United States and Israel that erupted on February 28. The head of Iran Human Rights put it bluntly: "All executions, regardless of the charges, have a clear domestic purpose -- to create fear and prevent new protests."

Some of this has played out very publicly. In July, Iran brought back public executions — cranes were used to set up hanging ropes in Isfahan to execute young protesters, who were brought by van to be hanged for alleged crimes related to the January protests. By that point, the UN's human rights chief said Iran had executed at least 56 people on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 individuals in cases linked to the January protests. And lawyers inside Iran told reporters the real numbers are probably higher, since the real number of people at risk of execution on charges related to the protests could be higher.

The legal process behind these death sentences is where things get really ugly. Amnesty International says the crackdown intensified specifically after the unlawful attacks by Israel and the USA on Iran on February 28, 2026, when Iranian authorities intensified their use of the death penalty against individuals arrested in the context of the January 2026 uprising. Rights groups say many of these cases involve executions without a fair trial, based on confessions given under torture. One of the earliest and most attention-grabbing cases was a young wrestler, part of Iran's national team, who was hanged along with two others accused of killing police officers during the protests — confirmed by sources to CBS News as among the first executed in connection with the demonstrations.

Why should you care if you're nowhere near Iran? A few reasons. First, this is happening while the U.S. is actively at war with Iran, so it's tangled up with decisions about sanctions, negotiations, and whether the fighting keeps escalating. Second, more than 30 nations, including France, Britain and Canada, condemned Iran's use of capital punishment this month, saying the Islamic republic was executing protesters to "silence dissent." That kind of international pressure can shape whether sanctions get tighter or diplomacy gets a chance. And third, it's a pretty stark reminder of what's actually at stake for ordinary Iranians who took to the streets — they're not just risking arrest, they're risking their lives, and the world is watching a government try to use fear as a tool to keep control.