Iran Sentences First Woman to Death Over Protests

Iranian authorities have sentenced Bita Hemmati, identified as the first woman facing execution in connection with antigovernment protests, to death along with her husband and two other men, according to human rights organizations. The Tehran Revolutionary Court issued the verdicts against Hemmati, her husband Mohammadreza MajidAsl, 34, Behrouz Zamaninejad, and Kourosh Zamaninejad for their alleged roles in demonstrations in Tehran on January 8 and 9, 2026. A relative, Amir Hemmati, received a five-year prison sentence on related charges.

The four defendants, who lived in the same residential building in the capital, were accused of disrupting national security, including using explosives and weapons, throwing concrete blocks and incendiary materials from rooftops at security forces, injuring personnel, and engaging in propaganda against the regime. Authorities linked their actions to coordination with hostile foreign entities, such as the United States. In addition to the death sentences, the court ordered the confiscation of the defendants' property. No execution date has been announced.

Human rights groups have expressed serious concerns about the judicial process, noting...