ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran on Sunday executed three more protesters over their involvement in the nationwide demonstrations in January, the judiciary announced, accusing them of spying for the United States and Israel and destroying infrastructure. 

In a statement, the judiciary said that “the death sentences of Hassan Deoband, Hamid Kazemi, and Reza Zangana were carried out on charges of ‘participating in operational action for the infamous Zionist regime and the United States and hostile groups.’”

They are the latest in a spate of executions by Iran tied to the January protests.

Iran was engulfed in nationwide protests starting in late December, as business owners and shopkeepers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar went on strike and held 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 judiciary further accused them of “espionage and cooperation with the Zionist regime and hostile countries against national security,” according to the statement published on its Mizan Online website. 

“The rioters attacked public and government places, attacked citizens, destroyed public property, and destroyed an electricity substation in one of the areas of Karaj. These actions, in addition to damaging public facilities, caused disruptions in the provision of services to the public and cut off electricity to the area,” it said. 

The January protests led to a violent crackdown from Iranian authorities during which tens of thousands of people were killed, injured, or arrested. Dozens have been executed for their alleged involvement in the unrest since.

The Islamic republic has ramped up executions since its war with the US and Israel and the nationwide protests.

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.

In August, UN human rights chief Volker Turk criticized Iran for continuing to use executions to “instill fear,” saying that the Islamic republic uses capital punishment to “suppress dissent.”