US EditionIran hangs 3 people, including teen wrestler, in first executions over January protests
Saleh Mohammadi, 19, and two others were publicly hanged in Qom after unfair trials with coerced confessions amid Iran’s crackdown on January protests, rights groups say.
- On March 19, 2026, the judiciary reported three executions in Qom after convictions for moharebeh, linked to January protests, in front of a group, according to Iran Human Rights.
- Earlier this year, nationwide demonstrations peaked on January 8 and 9, with rights groups recording more than 7,000 killings and Tehran acknowledging over 3,000 deaths.
- Two sources told CBS News that Saleh Mohammadi, a teenage wrestling champion, was denied adequate defense and forced to give 'confessions' in fast-tracked proceedings, Amnesty International said.
- Activists warned the hangings could spark a surge in executions as Iran fights Israel and the United States, with rights groups noting it hanged at least 1,500 people last year.
- Iran Human Rights warned, 'We are deeply concerned about the risk of mass executions of protesters and political prisoners in the shadow of war', and Norway-based NGO monitors said the three were sentenced after unfair trials based on confessions obtained under torture.
154 Articles
154 Articles
Iran executes champion wrestler, 2 others found guilty of ‘waging war against God’
Iran executed champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi and two other men after convicting them of “waging war against God” in connection with the killing of two police officers during protests in January. #IranExecution #WrestlerSalehMohammadi #IranProtests #USIsraelandIran #IranWar #Hanging #Moharebeh
First three official executions. "Victims of farce trials."
Associated Press News
A wave of executions is feared in Iran after 3 young men were hanged this week
Three young men were hanged in Iran this week, raising alarm among rights groups that a wave of executions may be underway as authorities facing relentless attacks from the U.S. and Israel seek to squelch public dissent.
Iran executes teenage wrestler Saleh Mohammadi over anti-government protests
Iran carried out the execution of a 19-year-old wrestler along with two other protesters in a public hanging, according to reports from state media and human rights organisations. The executions reportedly took place in the city of Qom in the presence of a crowd. The wrestler, identified as Saleh Mohammadi, was executed alongside Saeed Davodi and Mehdi Ghasemi. Authorities had accused the three men of being involved in the killing of two police …
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