Iran Executes Sunni Militant Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh for Armed Attacks on Police and Membership in Ansar al-Furqan Group
Iran carried out the death sentence against Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh on Tuesday for attacks on police during the 2022-2023 protests. The execution is the latest in a surge that has included a man convicted of espionage the previous day. Rights groups documented at least 1,639 executions in Iran in 2025.
middleeasteye.netIran executed Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh on Tuesday for rebellion through armed attacks on police headquarters and membership in the Ansar al-Furqan rebel group, the judiciary said. The judiciary's Mizan Online website reported that the death sentence for Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh, son of Jalal and a trained member of the Ansar al-Furqan terrorist group, was carried out that morning.
His sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
Ansar al-Furqan is a Sunni militant group active in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh carried out his attacks during protests that rocked Iran in 2022 and 2023. Those protests followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman.
@CBSNews reported that the execution forms part of a wave of hangings since Iran has been at war with Israel and the United States since late February. A ceasefire between Iran, Israel, and the United States has been in place since April 8. Iran has ramped up executions since the start of the conflict, particularly in cases involving alleged espionage or security-related charges.
On Monday, Iran hanged Erfan Shakourzadeh. He was convicted of allegedly spying for the CIA and Israel's Mossad intelligence service. Erfan Shakourzadeh was a student at Tehran's Iran University of Science and Technology.
Before his execution, Erfan Shakourzadeh wrote: "I was arrested on fabricated espionage charges and, after eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement, was forced into a false confession. " The message was relayed by Norway-based rights groups Iran Human Rights and Hengaw.
In March, Iran executed three men who were accused of killing police officers during the protests, including Saleh Mohammadi, a young member of Iran's national wrestling team.
Iran is the world's most prolific executioner after China according to rights groups. At least 1,639 people were executed in Iran in 2025 including 48 women, according to Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty. The latest executions continue a pattern that intensified after the outbreak of conflict in late February.
Authorities have focused on security-related charges tied to both the earlier protests and the current war footing. Rights organizations have tracked the sharp increase through the first four months of 2025 and into the present ceasefire period.
