Iran has executed a man accused of carrying a chainsaw and other weapons during anti-government protests, according to the country’s judiciary.
Majid Adineh was executed on Sunday morning after being convicted of “operational action in favour of hostile groups”, Iran’s judiciary said through its Mizan Online website.
Authorities accused Adineh of deliberate arson, gathering and collusion to commit crimes against Iran’s internal security during nationwide protests that began in late December over rising living costs and economic hardship.
The Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death and ordered the confiscation of his property. His appeal was unsuccessful, and Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the verdict, according to Mizan.
Adineh and another suspect were arrested on January 9 in Alborz province, west of Tehran. Authorities said they were carrying a revolver, ammunition, two tasers, two tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw and a bottle of petrol.
The protests intensified in early January, reaching their peak on January 8 and 9, according to Iranian authorities, who reported more than 3,000 deaths and blamed the unrest on what they described as “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
Adineh is among several people executed in connection with the protests, while other executions have been linked to the war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty said Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest annual figure recorded in the country since 1989.
Amnesty International says Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions globally, after China.
