Iran executes a man accused of killing a security guard in 2022 Mahsa Amini protests

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran on Saturday executed a man accused of involvement in a deadly attack on security forces during nationwide protests in 2022, the judiciary’s official news agency reported.

Mizan Online identified the man as Mehran Bahramian, who reportedly opened fire on a security vehicle during the unrest, killing one officer and wounding others in December 2022, in Semirom county, Isfahan province. It added that Iran’s Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence.

The execution marked the 12th known case of a person put to death in connection with the 2022 protests, according to rights monitors. The demonstrations erupted after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died in police custody following her arrest for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code.

In June, Iran executed Abbas Korkouri, who was convicted of shooting and killing seven people during the protests.

Human rights monitors say such executions are part of a broader campaign to silence dissent, and there is international concern over these executions being conducted without evidence behind closed doors.

According to U.N. figures, Iran carried out nearly 1,000 executions in 2024, one of the highest rates in the world.

Amnesty International, which campaigns against the death penalty, has warned that Iran “may execute other individuals on death row for politically motivated charges.”

In a statement after two men were hanged in secret in July, Amnesty said: "Their executions highlight the authorities’ ruthless use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression in times of national crisis to crush dissent and spread fear among the population.”