At dawn on April 30, 2026, the Iranian regime executed Sasan Azadvar, a 21-year-old karate champion and courageous rebellious youth from Isfahan. Arrested during the massive January uprising, Azadvar was severely tortured before his death. His execution is another grim reminder of the clerical regime’s desperate reliance on the gallows to suppress dissent and intimidate a restive population.
The criminal death sentence was issued by Branch 1 of Isfahan’s sham Revolutionary Court, presided over by the notorious executioner judge Morteza Barati, and was quickly upheld by the regime’s Supreme Court. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency outlined his charges as “attacking State Security Force (SSF) officers with the intention of confronting the system,” disrupting national security, and inciting riots to overthrow the regime.
The Iranian regime’s judiciary announced that at dawn on Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Isfahan, Sasan Azadvar, a karate champion, was executed on charges of attacking the repressive State Security Forces during the January uprising, destroying a police vehicle, and encouraging… pic.twitter.com/oBnU2bgwXf
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 30, 2026
Ironically, in its attempt to justify the murder, the judiciary’s own account highlighted the young man’s bravery. State media detailed how he attacked an SSF minibus with stones and clubs, broke its windows, and even attempted to obtain gasoline to set the vehicle on fire while oppressive forces were still inside.
A broader pattern of repression following the uprisings
Azadvar’s hanging does not occur in a vacuum. It follows the massive December 2025–January 2026 nationwide uprising that brought the clerical establishment to its knees. In what can only be described as a desperate domestic purge, the regime’s killing machine has accelerated. Just days earlier, on April 25, the regime hanged another rebellious youth from Isfahan, Erfan Kiani, accusing him of carrying Molotov cocktails and setting fires during the protests. This marks the ninth execution directly tied to the recent uprising and the 17th political execution in the past month alone.
The regime also continues its ruthless targeting of oppressed minorities. On April 26, Amer Ramesh, a Baluch political prisoner who was only 18 at the time of his arrest and had been shot by security forces, was executed in Zahedan Central Prison.
Meanwhile, the threat of execution looms over other detained protesters, including Ehsan Hosseinipour, Matin Mohammadi, and Erfan Amiri, whose death sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court for allegedly attacking a Basij gathering in Pakdasht. Yet, despite these brutal measures, resistance continues to flourish. The Ministry of Intelligence recently announced the arrest of a three-person cell in Lorestan, accused of burning government banners and planning armed attacks on regime centers.
The responsibility of the international community
In response to these atrocities, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated that the continuous executions of PMOI/MEK members and rebellious youths, alongside widespread arrests, reflect the religious dictatorship’s sheer desperation and profound fear of the people’s anger. She emphasized that these acts are a desperate attempt to prevent further uprisings, but they will inevitably fail to save the regime, only doubling the resolve of the rebellious youths to overthrow it.
The inhumane clerical regime in Iran executed at dawn today a brave 21-year-old protester, Sasan Azadvar, a karate champion and son of Isfahan. He had been arrested during the January uprising.
The relentless bloodshed and execution of young protesters reveal the religious… pic.twitter.com/ZfxuKhNqnf
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 30, 2026
Highlighting the global responsibility to save lives, Mrs. Rajavi called on the international community to decisively condemn these executions and arbitrary arrests. She urged the United Nations Security Council and its member states to take immediate measures to halt the mullahs’ machine of executions and suppression, reiterating that true adherence to universal human rights principles necessitates bringing the regime’s leaders to justice for 47 years of crimes against humanity and genocide.
While Tehran attempts to project an image of power and control through these brutal hangings, the reality is entirely the opposite. These ongoing executions expose a highly fragile regime that is terrified of its own citizens. The gallows do not signify a stable government; rather, they belie the regime’s deep-seated fear of an increasingly restive Iranian society that no longer fears standing up against the apparatus of repression.