UN experts urge Iran to halt executions of 10 men arrested at anti-regime protests
Men sentenced in closed-door hearing alongside two others who were executed earlier this month; experts say Iran has hanged 24 people this year linked to the January protests
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UN experts on Monday called on Iran to cancel death penalties imposed on 10 young men in a single hearing over their alleged role in anti-government protests that rocked the country in January.
The men, in their late teens and early 20s, were sentenced to death in a closed-door hearing alongside two other young men, who were executed July 19.
“Sentencing 12 people to death in one hearing, in a closed courtroom and without clarity as to each defendant’s individual responsibility violates established fair trial standards,” the experts said.
The 13 experts are special rapporteurs of the United Nations and members of working groups on forced disappearances and arbitrary detention. They do not speak on behalf of the world body.
The anti-government protests, which began as demonstrations against the high cost of living before sweeping the country, were met with brutal suppression by Iranian authorities. Opposition groups said tens of thousands were killed in the crackdown that included live fire at crowds.
Iranian authorities have attempted to portray the mass protests as instigated by the United States and Israel, blaming the violence on “terrorist acts” by the two countries.
According to the UN experts, 24 people linked to the January protests have been hanged this year.
The 12 young men condemned to death were accused of involvement in the death of four members of the security forces, as well as acts of arson and vandalism during protests on January 8 in Shahid Alikhani Square, Isfahan.
However, the men were convicted based on televised confessions, according to the UN experts, who also stressed that the charges against them were never disclosed by Iranian authorities.
“The charges against them remain unclear, as the Revolutionary Court hearings are closed and judgments are not published,” they added.
The men were reportedly arbitrarily deprived of their freedom, and some were forcibly disappeared and ill-treated, the statement read.
According to NGOs, including Amnesty International, Iran makes the most prolific use of the death penalty after China.
At least 1,639 people were executed in 2025 — the most since 1989 — according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group and the anti-death penalty ECPM group in Paris.
The Times of Israel Community.