Iran hangs man accused of killing security forces volunteer during 2022 protests
Judiciary says Mehrab Abdollahzadeh confessed to crimes and was executed for ‘corruption on earth’
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Iran hanged a man on Sunday who had been convicted of involvement in the killing of a security forces volunteer during anti-government protests, the judiciary said.
“Mehrab Abdollahzadeh’s death sentence was carried out this morning after completing the legal formalities,” said the judiciary’s Mizan Online website.
It said Abdollahzadeh, along with others, was arrested at the scene of street protests in the northwestern city of Urmia, where a farmer “was severely beaten by rioters and tragically martyred.”
The farmer was attending the protests “as a volunteer force to ensure the security of the people,” according to Mizan.
The incident took place during a wave of protests that gripped the country in 2022, following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd detained for an alleged breach of Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Mizan published what it said was part of a confession by Abdollahzadeh in which he admitted to “hitting the officer several times in the face.”
Iran executed political prisoner Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, who had been arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, at Urmia prison on Sunday morning, the judiciary’s Mizan News said.
Iran also executed two more men on Saturday after the Supreme Court upheld their death… pic.twitter.com/Fapx6vEU4s
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) May 3, 2026
Abdollahzadeh was sentenced to death under the capital offense “corruption on earth,” while two other defendants below 18 years of age were sentenced to imprisonment of unspecified terms.
Hundreds of people were killed during the 2022 protests, including members of the security forces, and thousands were arrested. Iran has since tried and executed several people detained during the unrest.
Additionally, Iran has executed at least 10 people in the last two months for alleged crimes carried out during a recent wave of protests that rocked the country, beginning in late December over rising living costs before spreading nationwide and evolving into mass uprisings.
Iran is the world’s second most prolific user of the death penalty after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.
The Times of Israel Community.