Three protesters secretly executed in Qom prison
Hengaw – Thursday, March 19, 2026
The Iranian judiciary has carried out the secret execution of three detainees arrested during the December 2025 protests, identified as Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi, in Qom Central Prison. The executions were carried out on charges of moharebeh (“waging war against God”), following forced confessions obtained under torture.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the executions were carried out at dawn on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Saleh Mohammadi, 19, a member of Iran’s national wrestling team, along with Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, had previously been sentenced to death on charges including moharebeh and the alleged killing of two Law Enforcement Command (Faraja) officers.
Judiciary-affiliated media reported that the three men were convicted of involvement in the killing of Mohammad Ghasemi Hamapour and Abbas Asadi, both identified as Faraja officers, during protests on January 8, 2026, in separate incidents in Nokouei Intersection and Nobovat Square.
Saleh Mohammadi repeatedly denied the charges during court proceedings, stating that his confessions had been extracted under severe torture. Despite the absence of evidence placing him at the scene, including CCTV footage that reportedly did not confirm his presence and witness testimony from his family, the court dismissed exculpatory evidence and upheld the death sentence.
Hengaw warns that, amid mounting military, political, and international pressures, Iranian authorities appear to be intensifying the use of executions against political detainees and protesters. These sentences were issued following grossly unfair trials, marked by denial of access to independent legal counsel and reliance on coerced confessions.
Hengaw strongly condemns the executions and calls on international organizations and human rights bodies to take immediate and concrete action to halt Iran’s use of the death penalty and address the broader pattern of repression.
