Three-minute read
The dawn of Sunday, April 5, 2026, saw the execution of two more protesters, Mohammad- Amin Biglari and Shahin Vahedparast. Their deaths are not isolated incidents of judicial finality; they are part of a deliberate, rhythmic application of state terror designed to communicate with an “explosive society.” By pacing these killings, the regime seeks to broadcast a continuous warning: any attempt to challenge the state’s monopoly on force will be met with the harshest possible retribution.
The Red Line of Armed Resistance
The judiciary’s mouthpiece, Mizan, stated that Biglari and Vahedparast were executed for an attempt to “access an armory” at a classified military site in Tehran during the January uprising. According to the state’s narrative, they were part of a group that sought to “steal weapons and military equipment” to act against the system.
In the eyes of the clerical establishment, this represents a major “red line.” While the regime has historically suppressed all forms of dissent, the attempt to acquire the means of self-defense signals a shift in the nature of the protest movement. By executing those who reach for the tools of resistance, the regime is attempting to maintain a defenseless population.
The #deathpenalty in Iran has never been functioning as a system of criminal justice. It is a weapon of political repression. It is the state’s most extreme tool for intimidating society, crushing dissent, and preventing organized resistance.https://t.co/gDEIJ8GMcr
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 21, 2026
A Systematic Campaign of Terror
The deaths of Biglari and Vahedparast follow a rapid succession of hangings linked to the same case and time period. Just three days prior, on April 2, the regime executed 18-year-old Amirhossein Hatami. Three other co-defendants in the case, Ali Fahim and Abolfazl Salehi, remain in a state of perilous uncertainty, having been transferred to solitary confinement alongside those already killed.
These deaths follow the public hanging of Saleh Mohammadi, Saeed Davoudi, and Mehdi Ghasemi in Qom on March 19, all of whom were arrested in connection with the January uprising and subjected to what rights groups described as “fast-tracked, torture-tainted trials.”
This “pacing” of executions serves a psychological purpose. It ensures that the specter of the gallows remains a daily headline, creating a persistent atmosphere of dread. The regime’s goal is to convince the public that the cost of participation in an uprising is absolute, hoping that the “price” will eventually become too high for the average citizen to pay.
Iran’s Killing Machine Claims Ten Political Prisoners in 16 Days https://t.co/z9SLZn5UiI
— Ali Safavi (@amsafavi) April 4, 2026
The Evolution of the Struggle
The individuals currently facing the gallows represent a generation that has largely abandoned the traditional frameworks of dissent. For two decades, various circles and foreign-funded media outlets have advocated for “cost-free struggle”—a strategy of gradual reform or symbolic protest. However, the youth of the January uprising appear to have calculated that such paths are dead ends.
These protesters have demonstrated an understanding that freedom and justice in the current Iranian context are only attainable “by every means and at any price.” They have moved beyond the rhetoric of patience, choosing instead a path of active confrontation. This shift is perfectly mirrored in the recent executions of six other political prisoners associated with the PMOI—Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Abolhassan Montazer, and Vahid Bani-Amerian—who were similarly targeted for their commitment to an organized overthrow of the state.
The brutal execution of the courageous young men Mohammad Amin Biglari and Shahin Vahedparast in Iran reveals the clerical regime’s deepening desperation in the face of an outraged people, as well as its growing fear of an expanding uprising and the eventual collapse of its rule.… pic.twitter.com/pvM2LMJtxM
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 5, 2026
A Choice of Methods
The Iranian regime is using the gallows to mask its own vulnerability. By treating protesters who seek weapons as the ultimate threat, it reveals its fear of a society that is no longer willing to be a passive victim. The “message” being sent through these executions is indeed one of terror, but the response from the streets suggests a different conclusion: the only way to end the cycle of executions is to remove the hand that holds the rope.
The struggle has moved into a new phase where the method is no longer about seeking permission to exist, but about securing the power to be free.