ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran on Sunday carried out the death sentence of a man who allegedly ran over several policemen during the anti-government protests in January, the judiciary announced, claiming that he was cooperating with the US and Israel. 

Shahram Sadeghi “was sentenced for carrying out operational actions in support of the United States and the Zionist regime. He was executed this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said. 

It accused Sadeghi of running over several policemen in Karaj, near Tehran, on January 8, amid the anti-government protests. 

“The deliberate attack on the police officers resulted in the serious injuries of seven officers,” Mizan said. “After this brutal attack, Shahram Sadeghi fled the scene and set his car on fire.” 

Iran has a long history of broadcasting alleged confessions from detainees that are widely believed to have been obtained through threats, psychological pressure, and, in some cases, physical torture.

In early August, Iran executed two individuals suspected of spying for Israel’s intelligence during the 12-day war last year and the recent war, a week after another two people were hanged for allegedly killing police officers and burning them alive in Isfahan.

On Wednesday, a joint statement by 26 countries and the EU’s top diplomat urged Iran to “immediately end” its use of the death penalty and called on the Islamic republic to provide rights to free expression. 

In a report late last month, the UN censured Iran for issuing death sentences without fair trials and said that at least 24 people have been executed by the Islamic republic in 2026 in connection with the January protests, urging Iran to halt the hangings. 

According to Amnesty International’s 2025 annual report on the use of the death penalty worldwide, global executions have surged to their highest level in over four decades, driven largely by Iran.

The report said Iranian authorities carried out at least 2,159 executions, more than double the previous year and the highest figure recorded in the country in decades. Iran alone accounted for around 80 percent of all recorded executions worldwide. 

Iran was engulfed in nationwide protests starting late last year, as business owners and shopkeepers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar went on strike and staged demonstrations over the falling value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar. The unrest later spread to other provinces, with chants increasingly targeting the state. 

The protests led to a violent crackdown from Iranian authorities during which tens of thousands of people were killed, injured, or arrested.

The US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) reported that it had confirmed the deaths of 6,388 protesters, as well as 236 children, during the period between December 2025 and February 2026.