During the second half of August, Iran’s human-rights situation deteriorated further. Executions remain central to the repression, alongside new death sentences against January uprising detainees, mass arrests, corporal punishment, harsh prison conditions, restrictions on journalism and renewed persecution of religious minorities.
Executions and death sentences
According to Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), 977 executions were documented in the first seven months of 2026. In July alone, 87 were recorded, including three women, two people executed for offences allegedly committed while under 18, and nine political prisoners; 73 were never officially announced.¹ The full August total is not yet available, but executions have remained exceptionally high. Between 23 and 26 August, 23 prisoners, including three women, were executed — nearly one every four hours.²
The execution of January uprising detainees is particularly alarming. On 20 August, Ghaem Hosseini, a young Afghan-origin detainee arrested in the Alikhani Square case in Isfahan, was hanged. Reuters confirmed the case was linked to the January protests.
His prosecution had raised concerns over access to lawyers, closed or remote proceedings and alleged coerced confessions.³
On 23 August, Majid Adineh was executed after being arrested during the January uprising near Karaj. The judiciary accused him of acting on behalf of the United States, Israel and opposition groups under national-security and espionage legislation.
The Associated Press reported the authorities’ allegation that a handgun found in his possession had been fired during the protests. Questions remain over the transparency of the proceedings, independent legal representation and the evidence used to impose the death penalty.⁴
On 27 August, reports emerged that Leila Abolhasani, a 43-year-old mother of two teenage daughters, had been sentenced to death for moharebeh (“enmity against God”).
Arrested during the January protests in Shahin Shahr, she was accused of participating in arson. A source close to her family says she was only filming a supermarket already on fire. The evidence against her and details of her defence have not been made public; her appeal is before the Supreme Court.⁵
Prisons, arrests and corporal punishment
Conditions facing January detainees remain equally disturbing. In Ward 37 of Unit 3 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, 65 identified uprising detainees are reportedly being held in severe overcrowding without adequate medical care or basic amenities. Several face the death penalty and are reportedly denied access to legal counsel. In Karaj Central Prison, an estimated 300–400 prisoners, mostly January detainees, have been held in similarly overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, with prisoners reportedly sleeping on floors and receiving extremely restricted access to showers.⁶
Women protesters have also been subjected to corporal punishment. On 22 August, Neda Dadehjani and Setayesh (Behnoush) Sarabi, arrested during the January uprising, were each given 31 lashes before being transferred to Sanandaj Prison. Their sentences also include imprisonment and internal exile.⁷
From left to right: Neda Dadehjani and Setayesh Sarabi
The security crackdown is continuing outside prison walls. On 28 August, the Intelligence Ministry announced the arrest of 30 people in Mahallat and Nimvar over alleged involvement in the January protests. Their identities, whereabouts and access to lawyers have not been fully disclosed.⁸
Freedom of expression and religious persecution
The authorities are simultaneously tightening control over information. Parliament has advanced legislation that could criminalise unauthorised communication with foreign media and expose Iranians to prison sentences merely for providing interviews, photographs or information. This follows the 15-year prison sentence imposed on prominent photojournalist Yalda Moaiery, whose work has extensively documented women and protests in Iran.⁹
Religious minorities also remain under pressure. Between 22 and 25 August, authorities raided Bahá’í homes and workplaces across seven provinces. The Bahá’í International Community reported that 11 people were arrested or imprisoned, while security forces seized computers, professional equipment, cash, jewellery and other personal property.¹⁰
Taken together, these developments show that the January crackdown has not ended; it has moved increasingly from the streets into prisons, Revolutionary Courts and the execution chamber. The accelerating use of executions alongside arbitrary detention, flogging, denial of due process and restrictions on information demands sustained international pressure, independent access to prisoners and concrete accountability for those responsible.
Footnotes
- Iran Human Rights Monitor, “Iran HRM Monthly Report–July 2026,” August 8, 2026; Iran Human Rights Monitor, homepage execution statistics, accessed August 31, 2026. (Iran HRM)
- Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, “Iran’s Regime Carried Out 23 Executions in Just Four Days—One Every Four Hours,” August 27, 2026. (ncr-iran.org)
- Elwely Elwelly, “Iran Executes Man over Charges Related to January Protests, State Media Says,” Reuters, August 20, 2026; Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, “Iran’s Regime Executes 21-Year-Old Uprising Prisoner Ghaem Hosseini,” August 20, 2026. (Internazionale)
- Associated Press, “Iranian Security Chief Says Support for New US Sanctions Would Be ‘Act of War,’” August 23, 2026. (AP News)
- Iran Human Rights Society, “Leila Abolhasani; Mother of Two Teenage Daughters Sentenced to Death,” August 28, 2026. (Iran HRS)
- Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, “Iranian Prisoners’ Lives at Risk from Poor Health and Living Conditions,” August 21, 2026; Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, “Inhumane Conditions for Uprising Detainees in Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison, Ward 37,” August 27, 2026. (ncr-iran.org)
- Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), “January 2026 Protests: Flogging Sentences of Two Women Carried Out,” August 26, 2026; Iran International, “Iran Flogs Two Women Detained in January Protests,” August 26, 2026. (HRANA; Iran International)
- Press TV, “Intelligence Forces Arrest 30 Mercenaries Involved in Foreign-Backed Riots in Markazi Province,” August 28, 2026; AvaToday, “30 Citizens Arrested in Connection with January Protests in Markazi Province,” August 28, 2026. (Press TV; AvaToday)
- Deepa Parent, “Iran Seeks to Criminalise All Contact with Foreign Media in ‘Chilling’ Crackdown,” The Guardian, August 26, 2026; Nilo Tabrizy, “Iranian Photojournalist Faces 15 Years in Prison over Images, Reporting,” Reuters, August 12, 2026. (The Guardian)
- Bahá’í International Community, “State Theft against the Bahá’ís: From Personal Cash and Wedding Rings to Children’s Toys,” August 27, 2026. (bic.org)