Iranian authorities hanged two men, Abolfazl Sepahi and Amir Safari, in a public execution on July 28 in Alikhani Square in Isfahan, drawing an angry crowd that chanted anti-police slogans and was dispersed with tear gas, Tasers, and warning shots. The two were among 12 young men sentenced to death over the killing of four police officers during anti-regime protests in January 2026, with two others already executed in prison on July 19; human rights activists have raised serious doubts about the fairness of the trials, noting that confessions broadcast on state television may have been obtained under coercion. The executions have sparked a significant domestic backlash, including an online petition against the death penalty that gathered around 500,000 signatures within a day, as well as a hunger strike by an estimated 1,500 death-row inmates at Ghezel Hesar prison (a large detention facility near Karaj, northwest of Tehran); Amnesty International says Iran has executed at least 52 people in connection with the January 2026 protests and at least 2,159 people in total during 2025.