Iran executes three protesters found guilty of killing two police officers

Iran has executed three men convicted of killing two police officers during anti-government protests in January, according to state media. The men were executed in Qom, central Iran, on Thursday (19 March) after their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court.

The judiciary said the men were found guilty of murder and mohārebeh (waging war against God), including carrying out acts it claimed were in support of Israel and the U.S.

Iranian officials have repeatedly accused foreign adversaries of involvement in the nationwide unrest earlier this year. The government’s subsequent crackdown on the demonstrations has been described as the largest in the Islamic Republic’s history.

Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said in February that the number of civilians killed in the crackdown could exceed 20,000. The Iranian government has put the official death toll from the protests at 3,117.

The executions came a day after Tehran put to death a Swedish citizen who had been arrested in Iran in June 2025. Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, summoned the Iranian ambassador in response.

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"The death penalty is an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment. Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application in all circumstances," Stenergard said.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also condemned the execution in a statement on Wednesday evening (18 March).

"The appalling human rights situation in Iran and the alarming increase in executions are intolerable and show the regime's true colours," she said, offering condolences to the deceased's family. 

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