Iranian authorities executed three men on Sunday, 8 November 2026, after convicting them of carrying out operations on behalf of Israel and the United States during anti-government protests in January, the judiciary said.
The death sentences against Hassan Divband, Hamid Kazemi and Reza Zanganeh “were carried out this morning after being upheld by the Supreme Court,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported.
The three men were hanged in Karaj, a city west of Tehran. The judiciary said they were found guilty of “participating in operational activities on behalf of the Israeli Zionist regime, the United States and hostile groups” during the protests.
According to Mizan, the men threw Molotov cocktails and grenades, used bladed weapons and firearms, and set fire to public facilities in Karaj. They were also accused of damaging an electricity substation in the city, causing power outages in some areas.
The judiciary said Divband was arrested on 11 January after investigations identified him as a suspect in attacks on public property and incitement to violence. Ten other people were later arrested, accused of taking part in the unrest under his supervision. The three men were sentenced to death and ordered to have their assets confiscated, while the other defendants received prison terms of five to ten years.
The executions are the latest in a series Iran has carried out in recent months over the January protests. They bring the number of protesters put to death in less than a week to five, according to Rudaw, which cited the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights as saying at least 36 protesters have been executed in connection with the January protests.
The protest movement began in December 2025 over the rising cost of living and grew into nationwide anti-government demonstrations that peaked on 8 and 9 January. Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths in the unrest, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” they said were orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
Source: Arab News (AFP) — https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/iran-executes-three-men-linked-to-anti-government-protests-3010471
