HRANA – Concurrent with the onset of military conflict and the intensification of the security measures, the process of issuing and carrying out execution sentences in political and security-related cases in Iran has undergone notable changes. This report, focusing on the impact of the conflict on the situation of political and security prisoners, particularly those detained during the January 2026 protests, shows that in some cases the handling of these cases has proceeded at a pace beyond usual procedures, and the interval between arrest, sentencing, and execution has decreased. In addition to examining details of the issued verdicts, this report presents a list of the names of these individuals along with details of their cases.

According to HRANA, executions of prisoners on political and security-related charges have increased alongside the outbreak of military conflict in Iran.

A review of the trend in carrying out execution sentences for political and security prisoners since the beginning of U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran indicates that this process has undergone significant changes in recent months. While in previous years a considerable portion of executions in Iran was related to drug-related offenses, during this period the share of political and security cases among carried-out sentences has increased markedly. Collected data indicates that over approximately 65 days, on average, nearly one political or security prisoner has been executed every three days.

This shift has occurred simultaneously with the intensification of the security atmosphere resulting from military conflict and reflects the direct impact of the conflict on judicial processes. Meanwhile, the situation of detainees from the January protests shows that the handling of these cases has proceeded faster than previous practices, and in some instances the time between arrest, sentencing, and execution has significantly decreased, an issue that has overall led to an increased share of political and security cases among execution sentences.

The total number of executions carried out during a comparable 65-day period in the previous year was 191, of which only 7 involved political and security prisoners. In comparison, under current conditions, the total number of executions has decreased to 31; however, the share of political and security prisoners has increased to 22 cases. This means that executions of political-security prisoners account for 71% of all executions carried out since the beginning of the conflict between Israel–the United States and Iran.

On the other hand, at least 16 individuals detained during the protests have been sentenced to death. Death sentences for some of these individuals have been issued at the trial court level, while in other cases these sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court.

According to reports compiled by HRANA, protesters from the Dey protests have predominantly been sentenced to death in Iran’s Revolutionary Courts on charges such as “enmity against God” (moharebeh), “armed rebellion” (baghi), “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz), and “acting against national security.” Many of them were denied access to a lawyer of their choosing during the judicial process, and their cases were largely handled by court-appointed attorneys. In some instances, there have also been reports indicating that chosen lawyers were denied access to case files and that independent and human rights lawyers faced harsh treatment during proceedings. It is said that a significant portion of the cases were essentially never reviewed by independently selected legal counsel.

Some close relatives of these individuals, in interviews with HRANA, have stated that “forced confessions obtained as a result of torture and physical and psychological abuse by interrogators” were among the main pieces of evidence upon which judicial authorities relied in deciding the fate of the defendants.

Death sentences for these individuals have primarily been issued by judges such as Abolghasem Salavati and Iman Afshari. Among them, Iman Afshari has issued at least 7 death sentences, the highest number, followed by Abolghasem Salavati with at least 5.

The Tehran Revolutionary Court, having issued at least 12 death sentences in total, is considered the body playing the most significant role in issuing death penalties for detainees in protest-related cases. Additionally, the Qom Revolutionary Court, with 3 death sentences, ranks second in terms of the number of death sentences issued for detainees of the recent nationwide protests.

The following section presents three lists outlining these prisoners and the details of their legal cases: first, 16 detained protesters sentenced to death; second, 10 protesters whose sentences have been carried out; and third, 12 prisoners executed during this period on political or security-related charges in cases separate from the protests.