Iran’s judiciary executed Mehdi Khanaki on Wednesday, 22 July, after convicting him of charges stemming from the anti-government protests that swept the country in December and January. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency announced that the death sentence had been carried out following its confirmation by the Supreme Court. Khanaki was arrested on 21 Bahman (10 February) in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran, during a security operation that, according to the authorities, uncovered a significant cache of weapons and bomb-making materials at his home.

In its detailed account, the judiciary said Khanaki had confessed to joining what it described as a “terrorist group” in 1402 (2023/24), learning to manufacture explosives from a contact named “Hooman” via social media, and receiving funds through cryptocurrency. The seized items included five pistols, 90 rounds of ammunition, nine magazines, explosive remote controls, 11 hand grenades, 12 hand flares, 30 homemade explosive tubes, and large quantities of raw materials for bomb production. The Revolutionary Court in Karaj, with his lawyer present, convicted him of “operational action in favour of the Zionist regime and America and hostile groups” and of making and stockpiling weapons, sentencing him to death and confiscation of property under a law that intensifies penalties for espionage and cooperation with Israel and hostile states.

The execution is the latest in a widening crackdown linked to the Dey uprising, which began in late December over economic grievances before rapidly expanding into nationwide anti-government demonstrations that peaked on 8 and 9 January. Iranian authorities have acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” they accuse the United States and Israel of orchestrating. Iran International, a Persian-language news channel, has cited a figure of over 36,500 killed in what it calls a targeted suppression of a national revolution. Non-governmental organisations operating outside Iran have also reported that thousands died in the state’s response. Since US-Israeli military strikes against Iran on 28 February, the pace of executions has accelerated; the judiciary confirmed that another man was hanged just a week earlier for involvement in the same winter protests.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly warned that many cases tied to the protests are built on forced confessions extracted under torture, with defendants denied effective access to independent counsel and fair trial guarantees. Amnesty International had urged the authorities to halt the executions. Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said on 18 Tir (9 July) that the Iranian people were once again trapped between foreign attacks and domestic repression. The judiciary has stated that identifying and punishing those it holds responsible for the “American-Zionist coup” of Dey remains a priority, signalling that further prosecutions and executions are likely.