‘Completely False’: Tehran's Top Prosecutor Denies 800 Executions Were Halted After Trump Intervention

Latest Developments

Iranian Prosecutor Denies U.S. Claim to Have Prevented 800 Hangings: Iran’s top prosecutor, Mohammad Movahedi, vehemently denied President Donald Trump’s claim that his threats of intervention had prevented the executions of over 800 Iranian protesters detained by the regime. “This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision,” Movahedi said, suggesting that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered the figure to Trump to prevent U.S. military action against Iran after a bloody regime crackdown over the past three weeks. Meanwhile, Trump on January 23 warned that a U.S. “armada” was heading toward Iran, threatening that his administration would use military force against the Islamic Republic if it continues to kill protesters.
Internet Blackout in Iran Enters Third Week: A regime-imposed nationwide internet and communications blackout entered its third week on January 23, after over 348 hours without connectivity to the outside world. Some Iranian human rights groups, citing Iranian medical professionals, have reported that the Islamic Republic’s forces have murdered as many as 16,500 protesters, using the blackout to commit what is being labeled a “genocide under digital darkness.” The Tehran regime has already admitted that at least 3,117 people were killed during the demonstrations, justifying its actions by labeling some protesters “terrorists.”
UN Calls for Regime Accountability: The UN fact-finding mission on Iran said on January 23 that “the priority now must be on gathering evidence of alleged human rights violations and holding perpetrators to account.” Sara Hossain, who leads the task force, stated at a special session of the UN Human Rights Council that credible reports indicated that “thousands of people have been killed since protests erupted on December 28,” adding that the regime has detained an additional 24,000 people. The fact-finding mission affirmed that it “continues to gather evidence regarding allegations of gross human rights violations, including unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, resulting in arbitrary killings and severe injuries, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, and forced confessions.”

FDD Expert Response

“There is no victory lap for the Trump administration after it took the word of a regime that, even before these protests began, broke its own annual execution records. Both current and former Iranian officials have mocked the idea that a delay of execution was granted to Iranian protesters because of the president’s threats. This sort of braggadocio, however, is proof that the Islamic Republic was always planning to shoot its way out of the largest and most significant street demonstrations in its 47-year history. Iranians who have been arrested are likely to fare no better than those who have met a grim fate on the streets of cities and towns across Iran.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

“The Islamic Republic has repeatedly shown that it is structurally incapable of reform or behavioral change. Repression is not a policy choice but rather a core pillar of the regime. Tehran will say whatever is necessary to deter a potential strike. At most, it may delay killings. It will not halt them.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst