The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic announced the execution of Mehdi Khanki, one of those arrested during the nationwide protests in January 2026. Judicial officials accused him of “cooperation with the Zionist regime” and membership in a “terrorist group,” allegations for which no details or supporting documents have been independently published, making independent verification impossible.
Mizan News Agency, the official media outlet of the Judiciary, reported on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, that Khanki had been sentenced to death and the full confiscation of his assets under the “Law on Intensifying Punishment for Espionage and Cooperation with the Zionist Regime and Hostile States Against National Security and Interests.”
According to Mizan’s report, Mehdi Khanki was arrested on February 10 following a report by the Intelligence Organization of the Law Enforcement Command of Alborz Province and a judicial order. The judicial system claimed that he was a member of an “anti-revolutionary group,” possessed military weapons and ammunition, and acted in line with Israeli and U.S. interests.
The Judiciary further accused him of “operational action in favour of the Zionist regime and the U.S.” and the “manufacture and possession” of weapons, without releasing further information about the judicial process, the evidence presented, or the defendant’s access to legal counsel.
