Iranian authorities said they executed Aref Khoshkar on Sunday after convicting him of killing security force member Salman Amirahmadi during the 2022 unrest in Tehran.
Authorities said Khoshkar used a pellet gun to shoot at security personnel from a rooftop, wounding Amirahmadi, who later died in hospital, and later confessed before discarding the weapon.
The case stems from nationwide protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died in morality police custody following her arrest over Iran's dress code.
Rights groups have criticized prosecutions tied to protest-era deaths of security personnel, saying defendants in those cases were denied due process.
Was Aref Khoshkar’s execution justice for a slain officer or a state killing to silence dissent?
With Iran's executions at a record high, is capital punishment the state's answer to the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement?
Escalating Executions in Iran: The 2026 Crackdown on Protesters and the Fate of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" Movement
Overview
The execution of Aref Khoshkar in July 2026 highlights Iran’s ongoing crackdown on dissent that began after Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in September 2022. Her death sparked nationwide protests, during which Khoshkar was arrested and later charged with serious offenses, including 'enmity against God.' His execution, amid a surge in death sentences for protesters, has drawn strong condemnation from human rights groups and the international community. This pattern shows how the Iranian government uses harsh legal measures and executions to suppress the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement and deter further opposition.