The war is on hold, but Iran’s internal crackdown is only deepening - BERITAJA

Mohammad Amin Biglari vanished arsenic anti-government protests rocked Iran successful early January. His begetter desperately searched morgues successful Tehran, the Iranian capital, for a month, fearing his boy was among the thousands killed successful the crackdown by authorities.

Instead, a lawyer from the revolutionary tribunal contacted the family and said Biglari had been arrested.

Biglari’s begetter was not allowed to sojourn him astatine the Ghezel Hesar prison, immoderate 30 miles westbound of Tehran, a comparative extracurricular of Iran who is successful interaction pinch the family told Beritaja. The comparative is not being identified for information reasons.

While successful prison, Biglari, a 19-year-old who worked astatine a hairsbreadth salon and the net section of a concatenation store, was only allowed to person one-minute calls pinch his father, according to the family member. On the 4th call, the family personnel said, Biglari told his begetter while sobbing that he had received his sentence: death.

The news tract of the Iranian judiciary reported April 5 that Biglari was hanged.

While the Iranian authorities has been battling its outer enemies, Israel and the United States, it has besides been ramping up a deadly crackdown connected those seen arsenic the force within.

Since mid-March, location person been astatine slightest 28 executions successful Iran, including 13 group arrested successful relationship pinch the January protests, according to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights. The group besides reported Biglari’s decease successful early April.

“The Iranian authorities person utilized the discourse of equipped conflict arsenic a pretext to further intensify repression,” Raha Bahreini, Iran interrogator for Amnesty International, said successful an interview.

She added, “Authorities person escalated their usage of the decease punishment arsenic a instrumentality of governmental repression. It’s really unfathomable that arsenic people were being bombed, they were besides waking up almost regular to news of hangings of protesters and dissidents and others targeted for politically motivated reasons.”

Protests successful Tehran connected Jan. 8, 2026.Getty Images

The authorities has besides arrested astatine slightest 4,000 group connected charges related to nationalist information since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran connected Feb. 28, the United Nations said successful a report 2 weeks ago. In galore cases, the detainees were “forcibly disappeared, tortured, aliases subjected to different forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including coerced — and sometimes televised — confessions and mock executions,” the U.N. said successful the report.

“I americium appalled that — connected apical of the already terrible impacts of the conflict — the authorities of the Iranian group proceed to beryllium stripped from them by the authorities, successful harsh and sadistic ways,” U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said successful the report.

Among those successful detention is Nobel Peace Prize laureate and salient quality authorities activistic Narges Mohammadi, who was being held successful a situation successful Zanjan successful northwest Iran connected nationalist information charges.

Mohammadi, 54, had a bosom onslaught successful situation successful precocious March and Amnesty International said successful a report 2 weeks agone that her life was astatine consequence because authorities were “subjecting her to torture aliases different ill-treatment done the deliberate denial of timely and capable specialized healthcare.”

She has now been transferred to a infirmary successful Tehran for treatment, her lawyer Mostafa Nili posted connected X connected Sunday, aft days of pleading by her family and others.

The Iranian authorities has besides started meting retired financial reward arsenic portion of the crackdown.

The properties of 40 group identified arsenic “traitors to the state and those who person taken action against the information and stableness of the country” were confiscated, according to a report published past week by Mizan, the news tract of the Iranian judiciary.

The country’s apical officials drew a difficult statement against immoderate imaginable home unrest early successful the war. National constabulary main Ahmad Reza Radan said successful an interview pinch authorities TV successful mid-March that immoderate protesters would beryllium treated arsenic the “enemy.”

Security forces showed their deadly intent moreover earlier that warning: a fistful of group were killed connected the first time of the warfare for celebrating the decease of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei successful public, according to Bahreini from Amnesty International.

Iranians rally successful support of the caller ultimate leader successful cardinal Tehran connected March 9.Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images

Khamenei was killed on pinch a number of different apical officials successful the first salvo of the warfare connected Feb. 28.

There haven’t been immoderate important protests since the warfare started arsenic mean Iranians person scrambled to enactment safe and make ends meet.

Biglari, the 19-year-old executed successful early April, had been taking euphony classes and redeeming money to bargain a computer. On the nighttime of his apprehension successful early January, Biglari was stepping location from activity and was arrested successful an area wherever protests were taking place and a building had been group connected fire, according to the relative.

Members of the Basij paramilitary unit had pushed Biglari and a fistful of others into their guidelines and confronted them there, the family personnel said.

At the time, thousands of anti-government protesters were hitting the streets successful cities crossed the state and information forces were retired successful ample numbers. Biglari was accused of breaking into a subject installation and mounting the building connected fire, according to the Mizan news site. Biglari did not play a domiciled successful mounting the building connected fire, the family personnel said. Biglari’s lawyer, Hassan Aghakhani, told the Emtedad news site successful February that he was not allowed to reappraisal the lawsuit aliases coming a defense.

After the execution, Iranian authorities refused to springiness Biglari’s assemblage backmost to the family aliases show them wherever he whitethorn beryllium buried, according to the family member.

Iran’s judiciary did not respond to a petition for remark from Beritaja.

President Donald Trump has many times said that the existent activity successful Iran appears much reasonable than officials the U.S. was dealing pinch anterior to the war. But quality authorities groups opportunity that an moreover more hard-line group is now starring the country, who will apt ace down moreover harder connected home unrest erstwhile the warfare ends.

“We person not seen immoderate motion of reasonableness aliases elasticity aliases immoderate effort astatine reconciliation connected the nationalist level from the existent leadership,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive head of the Center for Human Rights successful Iran, a New York-based defense group, and added, “I deliberation the future, particularly erstwhile the warfare is settled, could beryllium very bloody.”