Iran executes foreign national over January protest case in Isfahan

Iran has executed a man identified by the judiciary as Qaim Hosseini over his alleged role in anti-government protests in the city of Isfahan in January. The case is linked to unrest at Ali Khani Square on 8 January, where authorities said four security personnel were killed. The judiciary did not disclose Hosseini's nationality, but described him as a foreign national.

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The judiciary's Mizan news agency said Hosseini was also known by the alias Arian. It said he had confessed to taking part in the protests and had been carrying a cold weapon during the unrest. According to the agency, the case file and explicit confessions by other defendants were used to conclude that he had been present when the security forces were killed and had kicked the bodies of the dead officers.

Mizan also reported allegations that he took items from a charity organisation and set them on fire. Authorities said 59 people were arrested after the incident on charges related to the demonstrations. Four other detainees in the same case - Abolfazl Sepahi, Amirhossein Safari, Erfan Esfandiari and Golmohammad Mohammadi - had already been executed.

The judiciary said Hosseini's trial took place with a lawyer present and that the death sentence was reviewed and upheld by the Supreme Court after his appeal. The execution adds to a series of protest-related capital cases that have drawn scrutiny from rights groups. The case is significant because it comes amid continuing concern over Iran's use of the death penalty in protest-related prosecutions.

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Human rights organisations have repeatedly raised concerns about forced confessions, limits on access to legal counsel and fair trial guarantees in detention and trial proceedings. Rights activists have also accused Tehran of using executions in such cases to deter dissent and spread fear among protesters and their supporters. The broader context is a sharp rise in executions in Iran this year, according to rights monitors.

A report released earlier this week by the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said Tehran had executed at least 901 people since the start of 2026, including 28 in August alone. In a report to the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres said at least 975 people were reportedly executed in Iran in 2024, the highest annual figure recorded since 2015 and a 17% increase from the previous year. What remains unclear is the nationality of Hosseini, which the judiciary did not specify, and whether any further legal steps are possible in the case.

It is also not clear whether the executions linked to the Isfahan protests are now complete or whether more defendants remain at risk. The case will likely continue to be watched for any response from rights groups and for any further official detail on the January unrest and the prosecutions that followed.

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