Politics Iran's judiciary: No death sentences handed down so far
According to a spokesperson, the Iranian judiciary has not yet imposed any death sentences in connection with the recent mass protests. The spokesman said this was "a rigorous and lengthy process" that could take months or years, according to state broadcaster Iribnews.
18.01.2026, 11:42
SDA
The spokesman spoke of alleged "mercenaries" of the Israeli and US secret services Mossad and CIA. He went on to explain that the judiciary was trying to distinguish between deceived demonstrators and the actual instigators. Only when there was sufficient evidence would harsh penalties be imposed on the instigators.
This is in line with the Iranian authorities, who often describe protests as being controlled from abroad.
Protests crushed
People had been protesting in Iran since the end of December due to a dramatic economic crisis and very high inflation. The demonstrations quickly developed into political protests against the Islamic Republic's authoritarian system of rule. Iran's security apparatus brutally crushed the protests. There are reports of thousands of deaths.
Tehran's public prosecutor Ali Salehi had already rejected statements by US President Donald Trump on Saturday that Iran had halted the death sentences against hundreds of arrested people. The response to the latest demonstrations will be "firm, deterrent and swift", he said.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in a speech on Saturday that the "guilty" in the country would not get away scot-free. "We will break the backs of the troublemakers," said Khamenei.
Trump had stated on Friday that a US military strike against Iran had failed to materialize partly because Iran had called off the executions of 800 demonstrators. He did not cite a source for this figure. There is no confirmation of this.
