UN experts urge Iran to halt executions of 10 men arrested at anti-regime protests

UN experts have urged Iran to halt the executions of 10 young men sentenced to death in a single closed-door hearing for their alleged role in anti-government protests in January. Two others were executed on July 19. The experts cited violations of fair trial standards, including televised confessions and undisclosed charges.

UN experts on Monday called on Iran to cancel death penalties imposed on 10 young men in a single hearing over their alleged role in anti-government protests that rocked the country in January. The men, in their late teens and early 20s, were sentenced to death in a closed-door hearing alongside two other young men, who were executed July 19. The 13 experts, special rapporteurs of the United Nations, said sentencing 12 people to death in one hearing without clarity on individual responsibility violates fair trial standards. The anti-government protests began as demonstrations against the high cost of living before sweeping the country, and were met with brutal suppression. Opposition groups said tens of thousands were killed. Iranian authorities have portrayed the protests as instigated by the US and Israel. According to the UN experts, 24 people linked to the January protests have been hanged this year. The 12 men were accused of involvement in the death of four security forces members and acts of arson and vandalism during protests on January 8 in Isfahan. They were convicted based on televised confessions, and charges were never disclosed. The men were reportedly arbitrarily deprived of freedom, and some were forcibly disappeared and ill-treated. According to NGOs, Iran makes the most prolific use of the death penalty after China, with at least 1,639 executions in 2025.