As Iran hangs 3 young men, rights groups raise alarm multiple executions could follow

2026.03.21 09:50 In this image from video circulating on social media in January, protesters in Tehran, Iran, dance around a bonfire as they take to the streets. Photo: UGC via AP A 19-year-old star wrestler and two other young men were hanged in Iran this week, raising alarm among rights groups that a wave of executions may be under way as authorities facing relentless attacks from the US and Israel seek to squelch public dissent. The three men are the first to be executed from among the tens of thousands who were arrested during a January crackdown on nationwide protests. Rights groups say more than 100 others could face death sentences. The wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi, was hanged early on Thursday morning, along with Mehdi Qasemi and Saeed Davoudi, in Qom, just south of the capital, Tehran, according to state media. They had been sentenced on charges of “moharabeh” or “waging war against God”, for allegedly killing two police officers during protests in the city. Amnesty International said the convictions of the three, and of others arrested during the protests, came in “grossly unfair trials” that used confessions extracted by torture. The executions were “intended to instil fear in society and deter new protests” amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, an Oslo-based group that has documented detentions. Amiry-Moghaddam said he worries many more “executions of protesters and political prisoners may be imminent”. At least 27 people arrested during protests face death sentences Amiry-Moghaddam said his group has documented at least 27 death sentences that have been issued against people arrested during the protests. An Iranian worshipper in Tehran prays on Saturday at the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. Photo: AP Another 100 face charges that carry the death penalty, and Iranian state media have aired hundreds of forced confessions to crimes punishable by death, he said. Nationwide protests that began i

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