Updated · National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) · Jul 23
Iran Executes 26-Year-Old Protester Mehdi Khanaki, Raising January Uprising Death Toll to 24
Updated
Updated · National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) · Jul 23
Iran Executes 26-Year-Old Protester Mehdi Khanaki, Raising January Uprising Death Toll to 24
2 articles · Updated · National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) · Jul 23
Summary
Mehdi Khanaki, a 26-year-old law graduate and PMOI member, was executed on July 22 after Iran linked him to the January 2026 anti-government protests.
Iran’s Revolutionary Court in Karaj sentenced him to death and property confiscation on charges tied to PMOI membership and protest activity; the Supreme Court later upheld the sentence.
Judiciary outlet Mizan said Khanaki possessed five handguns, 90 rounds and nine magazines, and claimed seized weapons had been used during the January unrest.
Khanaki was arrested on February 10 in Karaj after months of pursuit, and reports in the latest account say he endured severe physical and psychological torture in custody.
His execution brings to 24 the number of people hanged over the December 2025-January 2026 uprising, underscoring Iran’s widening use of executions to suppress dissent.
With 1,500 Iranian inmates striking against secret executions, how long can the regime hide its brutal crackdown from the watching world?
Can the expanding anti-execution prison campaign survive Iran's communication blackouts and spark a successful nationwide uprising?
As Iran teeters on the brink of hyperinflation in 2026, will the regime's costly military focus ultimately trigger its own collapse?
Iran’s 2026 Protest Bloodshed: 6,000+ Dead, 40,000 Detained, and a Surge in Political Executions
Overview
The January 2026 uprising in Iran began as protests over inflation and currency collapse, quickly turning into a nationwide anti-government movement. The regime responded with a violent crackdown, mass killings, and a prolonged internet blackout. Security forces arrested protesters like Mehdi Khanaki, who was tortured, sentenced to death on fabricated charges, and executed. His execution sparked hunger strikes and demonstrations by inmates’ families. Amid regional conflict and US-Israeli airstrikes, the judiciary accelerated executions of political dissidents, bypassing legal protections. International sanctions and condemnations followed, but the regime’s harsh tactics only fueled further resistance and exposed internal divisions.