29.7.2026
Iranian authorities’ plan to make a public show of executing two Iranian protesters turned violent.
The police had set the stage for the execution by hanging in Tehran’s Alikhani Square on July 28, but instead of cheering the execution, the crowd chanted slogans against the police, prompting anti-riot units to disperse the crowd.
The regime had prepared for the public executions the evening before, erecting a makeshift stage in Alikhani Square, where authorities claim the four police officers were killed by protesters during the anti-regime demonstrations in January 2026.
Iran’s last politically motivated public execution took place in 2022, when Majidreza Rahnavard was put to death. He was charged with killing a member of the security forces in Mashhad during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. At least 88 people were publicly executed in Iran between 2011 and 2023, according to the independent Shargh newspaper.
Although the regime had organised the executions as a public event, events did not unfold as the authorities intended.
An angry crowd gathered at dawn and began chanting against the police, prompting anti-riot officers to intervene.
Police dispersed the crowd and chased people through nearby streets and alleys, using Tasers and tear gas and firing warning shots, according to several witnesses. Short videos posted on social media appear to corroborate their accounts.