Iran is poised to execute its first female protester linked to the January 2026 uprising in Tehran, according to multiple human rights groups.
Bita Hemmati was named in a collective death sentence along with three other defendants, including her husband Mohammadreza Majid-Asl, 34 years old. according to to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
The couple’s neighbors, Behrouz Zamaninejad and Kourosh Zamaninejad, were also sentenced to death, while a relative, Amir Hemmati, was jailed for five years.
The sentences mark some of the latest death penalty decisions in the government’s broader crackdown on unrest. Thousands of protesters may have been killed since demonstrations broke out this year.
TRUMP DETAILS ‘ALL OR NOTHING’ BLOCKAGE OF HORMUZ STRAIT AFTER FAILED TALKS WITH IRAN
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on January 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
“Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl and Bita Hemmati are a couple living in Tehran, and Amir Hemmati is a relative of the two,” the source said. told HRANA. “Kourosh Zamaninejad and Behrouz Zamaninejad lived in the same residential building and their arrests took place simultaneously.”
No implementation date has been given yet.
Tehran’s Revolutionary Court has reportedly charged the defendants with multiple crimes, including disruption of national security related to the “hostile government of the United States,” according to HRANA.
On January 8 and 9, the defendants allegedly used explosives and weapons, threw objects such as concrete blocks and incendiary materials from roofs, injured security forces and engaged in “anti-regime propaganda” in an attempt to undermine security, federal authorities said.
IRAN THREATENS TO CUT TRAFFIC IN THE RED SEA IN RESPONSE TO US MILITARY BLOCKADE OF PORTS
In this frame shot from a video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked protester holds a photo of Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
In addition to the death penalty sentences, the court also handed down five-year prison sentences and ordered the seizure of their personal belongings.
Officials added that the fifth employee, Amir Hemmati, was specifically convicted of “assembly and conspiracy against national security” and “propaganda against the regime,” the groups said.
Human rights activists further expressed concern that the defendants’ confessions may have been coerced, citing allegations of torture and interrogation.
Mourners hold photos of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Isfahan, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Payman Shahsanaei/ISNA via AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The organizations, which are pushing for a halt to the executions, also claimed that there is a lack of specific evidence linking the suspects to the alleged crimes, and argued that Tehran is trying to intimidate the public to prevent future civil unrest.
The widespread protests first erupted in Tehran in late December 2025, amid an economic crisis marked by a collapsing currency and rising inflation. Tensions then quickly escalated into broader anti-government unrest that spread across several cities.
Washington officially joined the conflict with the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, when it joined Israel in carrying out massive airstrikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
