Iran protests: 5,000 dead as judiciary hint at executions
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, ‘We will not let domestic or international criminals go unpunished’
At least 5,000 people have been killed in protests in Iran, including about 500 security personnel, an Iranian official in the region said on Sunday, citing verified figures and accusing “terrorists and armed rioters” of killing “innocent Iranians”.
The nationwide protests erupted on December 28 over economic hardship and grew over two weeks into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule – resulting in the deadliest unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if protesters continued to be killed on the streets or were executed. In a social media post on Friday, he thanked Tehran’s leaders, saying they had called off scheduled mass executions.
On Saturday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “We will not drag the country into war, but we will not let domestic or international criminals go unpunished,” state media reported. On Sunday, the judiciary indicated that executions may go ahead.
“A series of actions have been identified as Mohareb, which is among the most severe Islamic punishments,” Iranian judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir told a press conference.
Mohareb, an Islamic legal term meaning to wage war against God, is punishable by death under Iranian law.