Mohammed Amin Biglari was sentenced to death for ‘enmity against god’ (Handout)

Iran has sentenced dozens of protesters to death after last month’s nationwide unrest — as Donald Trump weighs fresh strikes and tensions surge once again.

Amnesty International says at least 30 people are currently facing execution, with nine hurriedly sentenced this month within weeks of their arrests.

Another 22 people — including two 17-year-olds — are at risk and awaiting legal proceedings that the rights group says violated fair trial standards.

The sweeping crackdown follows protests that erupted in December over economic grievances and exploded into nationwide demonstrations in January 2026.

Authorities responded with an internet blackout and a fierce clampdown on dissent.

Nassim Papayianni, Amnesty’s senior campaigner on Iran, warned the true number of those facing execution could be “much higher”.

She said families are being threatened to keep silent, and defendants have been denied access to independent lawyers since the January crackdown.

Amnesty believes the regime is “weaponising the death penalty” to “instil fear in the population and crush the entire spirit of people demanding fundamental change”.

“They’re trying to send a clear message that this is what you might face if you also decide to protest,” Ms Papayianni said.

Among those sentenced is 18-year-old Saleh Mohammadi, arrested in January over the death of a security agent in Qom.

A verdict seen by Amnesty shows he retracted his confession in court, saying it was extracted under torture.

The court dismissed his claim without investigation, and an anonymous source said he suffered hand fractures from beatings.

Fifty-five-year-old Mohammad Abbasi has also been handed a death sentence by a revolutionary court, according to a source close to his family and corroborated by Amnesty.

He is accused of killing a security officer — a charge his family denies — and of “enmity against God,” believed to be the first such sentence linked to last month’s demonstrations.

His daughter was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and both were denied access to a lawyer of their choice.

On 9 February, Amnesty reported that 19-year-old Mohammed Amin Biglari and six others were sentenced to death for allegedly setting a Basij base on fire.

The group said Mr Biglari was forcibly disappeared for weeks and denied his chosen lawyer, instead being assigned one by the state.

The Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights says no confirmed information has been published on other verdicts.

The reports come weeks after condemned protester Erfan Soltani was released on bail.

They also land as US president Donald Trump threatens “very strong action” if Iran begins executing protesters.

Tensions briefly cooled in February as delegations met to discuss a potential nuclear deal.

But without a breakthrough, Mr Trump moved US military assets into the region and warned of military action as fresh student protests flared at universities last week.

Rights groups say thousands were killed in the crackdown, marking Iran’s largest unrest since the 1979 Revolution.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group assessed that executions doubled in 2024 to at least 975 confirmed cases nationwide.

Amnesty says it has yet to publish its 2025 figures but acknowledges a rapid rise in executions since 2022.

Iranian lawyers told Independent Persian that “thousands” could face execution depending on diplomatic outcomes with Washington.

Now, as the regime tightens its grip and the world watches, the fate of those on death row hangs in the balance — and the stakes could not be higher.

Key Takeaways

• At least 30 protesters face execution after January’s unrest.

• Amnesty says trials were rushed, unfair and marred by torture claims.

• Trump threatens action as executions in Iran surge sharply.

Iran orders death penalty for protesters as Trump weighs fresh strikes

Let's hope the U.N. and other international organizations; national governments; and human rights groups as well as celebrities protest these totally unjust death sentences. It's would be a terrible violation of human rights if the Iranian government is allowed to kill its own citizens in this fashion.

If anyone thinks Trump cares about protesters, look to the ICE protesters. It's just Trump puffing out his ego as the president who can end wars in a day.

What's wonderful is, even in the face of being killed or getting a death sentence, protesters are still showing up.

As for the US, FAFO.