Iran executes three men in Karaj over January protest unrest

As of 9:13 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Iran executed three men on Sunday, Nov. 8, over unrest in the city of Karaj during January's nationwide anti-government protests, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported, according to Iranian rights groups and international outlets that cited it.

The death sentences "were carried out this morning after being confirmed by the Supreme Court," Mizan said, as quoted by L'Orient Today. The judiciary said the men were found guilty of taking part in "operational activities on behalf of the Zionist Israeli regime, the United States, and hostile groups," the outlet reported. The court also ordered their assets confiscated, according to the judiciary report as described by CNBC and the rights group HRANA.

The Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) identified the men as Hassan Divband, 30; Reza Zanganeh, 27; and Hamid Kazemi, whose age it did not give. Some outlets, including the BBC and CNBC, spelled the first surname Dioband.

What the judiciary alleged

According to the judiciary, as reported by CNBC and by the BBC citing the Tasnim news agency, the three were accused of using firearms, grenades and Molotov cocktails, setting fire to public facilities and damaging an electricity substation in Karaj, west of Tehran, causing power outages in some areas. The judiciary said Divband was arrested on Jan. 11 after investigators identified him as a suspect in attacks on public property and incitement to violence, CNBC reported.

The case involved 11 defendants in all, HRANA said, citing Mizan. Eight others were sentenced to prison terms of five to 10 years, according to Mizan as cited by L'Orient Today and IHRNGO.

IHRNGO said the men were sentenced by the Karaj Revolutionary Court under Iran's law on intensified punishment for espionage and cooperation with Israel and hostile states. The Kurdish rights group Hengaw said the charges also included "moharebeh," or "waging war against God." Hengaw said the executions took place at dawn at Ghezel Hesar Prison; Mizan did not name the prison, the group said.

Rights groups dispute the process

IHRNGO said the men were "convicted of non-fatal offences" and "deprived of their due process and fair trial rights," in the words of its director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam. The group cited an informed source who said the court's judgment described Zanganeh cutting power by pressing a switch, with no damage to cables, which the source said did not amount to sabotage. HRANA said Mizan's report gave no information about whether the defendants had lawyers of their choosing or how the hearings were conducted.

Hengaw said the allegation that Zanganeh, a car technician, had collaborated with Israel's Mossad was based only on his work and past work-related travel.

The executions bring to at least 39 the number of people executed since March 19 in connection with the December 2025–January 2026 protests, IHRNGO said. Hengaw, using its own count, put the figure at 40 for the January protests.

Why it matters

The protests began in late December over the high cost of living and grew into broad anti-government demonstrations that peaked on Jan. 8 and 9, the BBC reported. Iranian authorities have reported more than 3,000 deaths and blamed the violence on "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel, while foreign-based groups report higher figures, according to the BBC and L'Orient Today.

The number of executions in Iran has risen since U.S.-Israeli strikes on the country began in late February, the BBC reported. In August, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to the January protests, according to the BBC.

IHRNGO urged governments that keep diplomatic ties with Tehran, particularly the European Union, to raise the death penalty in their dealings with Iran.

GROKsiNEWS.com could not access Mizan's original Persian-language report; the judiciary's statements here are as quoted or described by the outlets and groups listed below.