On Monday, Iran carried out the execution of Ali Fahim, who was found guilty of collaborating with Israel and the United States during a series of anti-government protests earlier this year, the judiciary announced. Fahim was sentenced to death after the Supreme Court reviewed and upheld the verdict.
The protests initially erupted in late December over rising living costs but quickly escalated into widespread demonstrations against the government, reaching a peak on January 8 and 9. Fahim’s execution is part of a broader crackdown linked to these events.
Notably, the execution occurs amid heightened tensions and conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States, which intensified following strikes on February 28 that resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Authorities stated that Fahim was convicted of acting against Iran on behalf of “the Zionist regime and the United States” and of infiltrating a classified military facility to seize weapons. Iranian officials have described the December protests as initially peaceful but later manipulated by foreign forces into violent riots involving deaths and destruction.
Tehran claims that over 3,000 people, including security personnel and civilians, lost their lives during the unrest, attributing the violence to terrorist activities. Meanwhile, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports a significantly higher death toll, recording more than 7,000 fatalities, predominantly protesters, with the actual number possibly being even greater.
