Protest against the regime? You are a foreign agent: How protest in Iran became a crime punishable by death

An investigation by 'Iran International' reveals a recurring pattern of death sentences against protesters in Iran, relying on espionage allegations without proof of ties to foreign powers. Judge Hossein Yazdan Khaveh of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad has handed down death sentences to 11 protesters. An Iranian lawyer argues that the verdicts are based on repetitive reasoning and raises suspicions of collaboration with the Revolutionary Guards.

An investigation by the opposition website 'Iran International' reveals a recurring pattern of death sentences against protesters in Iran, relying on espionage allegations without proof of ties to foreign powers. The investigation focuses on Judge Hossein Yazdan Khaveh of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, who has imposed death sentences on 11 protesters arrested during anti-regime demonstrations. Iranian lawyer Marzieh Mahabi, living in exile in France, argues that the verdicts are based on repetitive reasoning and raises suspicions of collaboration with the Revolutionary Guards. According to her, the judge treats participation in protests as evidence of working for foreign powers, relying on 2025 legislation that tightened espionage penalties. The investigation also notes death sentences for detainees in protests near Mashhad in January 2026, who were accused of damaging public property and setting fire to religious sites.

Protest against the regime? You are a foreign agent: How protest in Iran became a crime punishable by death