Iran set to execute first female protester linked to anti-regime unrest

(SeaPRwire) –   Human rights groups report that Iran is preparing to carry out the execution of the first female demonstrator linked to the January 2026 Tehran uprising. 

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Bita Hemmati received a death sentence as part of a group ruling that included her 34-year-old husband, Mohammadreza Majid-Asl, and two others.

Neighbors Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninejad were also handed capital sentences, whereas a relative named Amir Hemmati was sentenced to five years behind bars.

These sentences represent the latest use of the death penalty in the government’s extensive efforts to quash dissent. Reports suggest that thousands of demonstrators may have lost their lives since the protests began earlier this year.

“Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl and Bita Hemmati are a married couple in Tehran, and Amir Hemmati is their relative,” a source told HRANA. “Kourosh and Behrouz Zamaninejad lived in the same apartment building, and they were all taken into custody at the same time.”

A specific date for the executions has not been announced.

HRANA reports that the Tehran Revolutionary Court charged the individuals with various crimes, such as compromising national security through alleged ties to the “hostile government of the United States.”

Authorities claim that on January 8 and 9, the accused utilized weapons and explosives, hurled items like incendiary devices and concrete blocks from roofs, harmed security personnel, and spread “anti-regime propaganda” to destabilize the country.

In addition to the death sentences, the court mandated five years of discretionary jail time and the confiscation of the defendants’ private property. 

Rights groups noted that the fifth individual, Amir Hemmati, was convicted on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “collusion and assembly against national security.”

Activists have expressed alarm that the confessions might have been extracted through torture and intense interrogation.

Calling for a stay of execution, these organizations argue there is no concrete evidence connecting the defendants to the crimes and suggest Tehran is using the sentences to terrorize the public and deter future protests. 

Massive demonstrations began in Tehran in late December 2025, fueled by high inflation and a failing currency. These tensions rapidly transformed into nationwide anti-government protests.

The United States formally entered the conflict on February 28, 2026, initiating Operation Epic Fury, which involved large-scale joint airstrikes with Israel that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.