In a statement published on Friday, February 20, 2026, the human rights organization also reported that at least eight of these individuals were tried and sentenced to death only a few weeks after their arrest.
The news of death sentences comes as U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to Iran’s alleged plan to execute “837 people” following the January killings on January 7–8, claiming that Iranian authorities abandoned the plan after his warnings.
Amnesty International called on Iranian authorities to immediately halt plans to carry out the executions of these eight individuals and to end the expedited and “grossly unfair” trials of dozens of other defendants.
According to the report, those sentenced to death include Saleh Mohammadi (18), Mohammadamin Biglari (19), Ali Fahim, Abolfazl Salehi Sivashani, Amirhossein Hatami, Shahin Vahedparast Kalour, Shahab Zahedi, and Yaser Rajaeifar.
Amnesty also said that at least 22 additional people — including two 17-year-olds — are at risk of receiving death sentences as they undergo or await legal proceedings that, according to the organization, involve “confessions” extracted under torture, denial of access to legal counsel during investigations, and refusal to recognize independent lawyers chosen by families.
Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said Iranian authorities, by issuing death sentences in rushed trials and threatening swift executions, demonstrate a “profound disregard for the right to life and for justice,” using capital punishment to instill fear in society and suppress public demands for fundamental change.
She added that children and young people make up a large portion of those caught in the government’s repression following the protests, many of whom have been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment to extract forced confessions and held in prolonged solitary confinement.
Amnesty International warned that the real number of people at risk of execution is likely higher, as authorities pressure families not to publicize the status of detainees and subject some prisoners to enforced disappearance, torture, and other abuses.
The organization also reported that thousands of protesters and dissidents were arrested in connection with the January demonstrations, with officials repeatedly threatening to impose the “maximum punishment” — meaning the death penalty — as quickly as possible.
