Iranian authorities exploit ‘wartime conditions’ to accelerate executions

Iranian authorities are using what they call “wartime conditions” to justify mass arbitrary arrests and accelerated and grossly unfair judicial proceedings.

By Maddie Ali, The Algemeiner

As American aircraft struck military and infrastructure targets across southern Iran in July, another campaign of repression was accelerating in the country’s prisons.

Iranian authorities have continued executions, imposed new death sentences on protesters, and pursued expedited proceedings that United Nations experts and human-rights organizations say fall far below international standards of fairness.

The two developments expose Iranian civilians to pressure from opposite sides: an expanding US military campaign and a state-led campaign of executions, arbitrary arrests, and political repression at home.

The latest phase of American bombing followed the collapse of a temporary ceasefire and renewed attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States carried out 13 consecutive nights of increasingly intensive airstrikes before suspending the campaign late on July 24.

The United States describes the strikes as operations against Iran’s missile, drone, naval, and surveillance capabilities.

On July 11, U.S. Central Command said American forces had hit approximately 140 targets, including missile and drone facilities, ammunition-storage sites, communication networks, naval capabilities, and coastal-surveillance installations.

Yet the violence and repression of the Iranian regime against the Iranian people have not stopped.

Even though weakened by three wars in two years, the Iranian regime’s killing machine is still intact and working efficiently.

Amnesty International reported in May that Iranian authorities were using what they called “wartime conditions” to justify mass arbitrary arrests, accelerated and grossly unfair judicial proceedings, politically motivated executions, lengthy prison sentences, and confiscation of property.

The human rights group warned that defendants were being prosecuted through processes involving torture-tainted confessions and limited access to lawyers.

Algemeiner spoke with Iranians whose loved ones were arrested during the January protests.

“They are falsely accusing him of moharebeh (waging war against God) and efsad-e fel-arz (corruption on Earth) without any proof or concrete evidence. He was part of the protests and has not done anything wrong,” said Arash, whose brother Ali was arrested in February 2026.

According to Arash, his brother has been denied access to legal counsel and faces the prospect of years in prison, where he fears Ali could be subjected to mental torture and physical abuse.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran documented at least 22 executions of political prisoners during a six-week period ending in April, including ten people detained during the January protests.

That amounted to roughly one political execution every two days.

“These cases involve secret proceedings, torture, forced confessions, and an absence of due process,” said an Iranian university professor who requested anonymity for security reasons.

“Executions have always been a tool of intimidation—designed to instill fear and deter future protests against the Islamic Republic,” he added.

On July 27, United Nations experts condemned death sentences imposed on 12 young men for their alleged involvement in the January protests.

The men were convicted in a single proceeding, intensifying concerns that collective or accelerated trials are being used to punish dissent.

On July 28, 2026, the Islamic regime in Iran publicly hanged Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi and Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani in Alikhani Square (Malekshahr), Isfahan.

The day before the executions, witnesses and rights groups reported that an iron scaffold had been erected in the square under heavy security, raising fears that the executions would be carried out publicly.

Crowds gathered overnight in hopes of preventing them. Witnesses told Algemeiner that people stayed awake throughout the night, hoping the executions would be suspended.

Many residents gathered near the square despite the deployment of security forces.

Many Iranians posted online, “We hoped until sunrise that Isfahan wouldn’t see the sunrise today,” reflecting widespread anxiety and hope that international pressure or a public presence might stop the executions.

An Iranian nurse told Algemeiner, “Executions have long been one of the Islamic Republic’s most effective tools for preserving its rule and maintaining its grip on power.”

UN human rights experts had urged the Iranian regime to quash the death sentences and halt any executions, saying the 12 men were sentenced in a single closed hearing, which was a clear violation of fair-trial standards.

Despite those warnings, the two executions proceeded, underscoring the limited ability or willingness of international appeals to prevent executions or arrests of protesters.

As Washington pursues diplomacy with the Islamic regime in Iran through regional mediators, ordinary Iranian voices remain absent from discussions and negotiations that will shape their future.

While governments negotiate over regional stability, security, and sanctions, those who have borne the greatest cost—the families of prisoners, protesters, execution victims, and ordinary Iranians—have no seat at the table.

For them, the most pressing question is not only whether diplomacy succeeds or war weakens the regime but also whether either delivers justice, accountability, protection, and freedom for the Iranian people.