OAN Staff Lillian Mann
11:35 AM – Thursday, April 16, 2026
Iranian authorities are moving forward with the execution of four protesters, including the first woman sentenced to death in connection with the ongoing anti-regime demonstrations. This development follows a harrowing year in which the Islamic Republic carried out or handed down death sentences to at least 1,600 individuals.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) identified the woman as Bita Hemmati. While the regime has charged her with several crimes related to the protests, an official execution date has not yet been set.
Joining her on death row is her husband, Mohammadreza Majid Asl, and two neighbors from their apartment complex, Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninezhad. All three men were sentenced following a truncated trial and the summary confiscation of their personal assets — proceedings that human rights activists have described as swift and devoid of due process.
The Islamic regime’s judge, Iman Afshari, also accused the group of “operational action for the hostile government of the United States and hostile groups.”
The judge brought multiple charges against them, including “using explosives and weapons, harming stationed forces on-site,” and “throwing objects including bottles, concrete blocks, and incendiary materials from the roofs of buildings.”
Furthermore, a fifth defendant and Bita Hemmati’s relative, Amir Hemmati, was sentenced to almost six years in prison for “assembly and collusion against national security” as well as “propaganda against the regime.”
The group was detained in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, which has seen the most national protests against the Iranian regime in the country. The protests then began to spread across the capital, and by January, students and other groups joined the nationwide show of opposition against the regime.
“The Iranian Resistance once again calls on the United Nations, relevant international bodies, and human rights defenders to take immediate action to save the lives of prisoners sentenced to death, especially political prisoners and those detained during the uprising,” the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) wrote.
According to Iran Human Rights Monitor (HRM), Iran has carried out at least 656 executions in the first three months of this year. However, the true tally is “likely far higher,” since Iran as a country went offline in March — due to government-facilitated internet and information black outs.
Only eight executions were recorded at that time.
Iran executed 1,639 people in 2025, including 48 women, Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty wrote on Monday in a joint annual report. The report notes that 21 of these women were executed for the murder of husbands or fiancés.
“Dozens of individuals arrested during the January 2026 protests have been sentenced to death following grossly unfair, fast-tracked trials conducted without due process, access to independent counsel and reliance on torture-tainted forced ‘confessions’ as evidence,” said the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Reports of the executions follow only a month after the Iranian regime executed Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old champion wrestler, after he and two others were charged for murdering two Iranian law enforcement officers in March.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below