Iran Executes Protesters as Bombs Fall: A Double Crisis

Iran has executed a 24th person linked to recent protests since March, rights groups say. The latest victim, Mehdi Khanaki, was put to death on July 22. Executions of real or perceived dissidents on vague national security charges have surged. Over the past four months, authorities have killed at least 50 people, including teenagers aged 18 and 19. These executions are arbitrary under international law. Trials are extremely short—often just three to six months from arrest to execution—and lack basic fair trial protections. Many prisoners are charged with offenses that do not meet the legal standard of “most serious crimes.” Common charges include “waging war on God,” “espionage,” or “collaboration with hostile states.” A new Espionage Law, passed after the January 2026 massacres, has made this repression worse. Since US-Iran hostilities resumed in early July, authorities have announced several more executions on national security grounds. Over 70 protesters sit on death row in a single prison, according to one human rights group. People in Iran now face two deadly threats: brutal domestic repression and unlawful military strikes. In February, a strike on a primary school in Minab killed scores of children. President Trump’s renewed threats to target infrastructure vital for civilian survival have raised further alarm. Conditions in prisons, especially in southern Iran, are deteriorating. Water and electricity cuts—caused or worsened by military strikes—are hitting during extreme heat. Many affected cities are home to ethnic minorities who already face discrimination. Rights groups call on Iran to halt all executions, release all arbitrarily detained people, and allow humanitarian releases. They urge countries with embassies in Tehran to push for a moratorium on executions and to send diplomatic observers to capital trials. All sides in the conflict must follow the laws of war.