Government Threatens Death Penalty as Death Toll Hits 72

TEHRAN: The Iranian government has dramatically escalated its rhetoric against nationwide protests, warning that any participant caught in the demonstrations will be charged as an “enemy of God” (Moharebeh)—a crime that carries the death penalty under Islamic Republic law.

As the protests reach the two-week mark, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports that at least 72 people have been killed and more than 2,300 others detained.

Donald Trump has seemingly offered his country’s assistance.

Iran’s Attorney General, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, issued a stern warning via state television, asserting that prosecutors must act “without leniency, compassion or indulgence.” The state’s position is that protesters are not merely citizens expressing grievances over the collapsing rial—which has plummeted to 1.4 million to $1 USD—but are “betraying the nation” to seek foreign domination.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signaled that a broader security crackdown is imminent, despite warnings from the international community.

While state-run media portrays the security forces as victims of “armed terrorists,” reporting casualties among the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force in Gachsaran and police in Bandar Abbas, independent footage tells a different story. Verified videos from northern Tehran show thousands of citizens chanting “Death to Khamenei,” directly contradicting state TV claims that “peace prevailed.”

Protesters showing pictures of Reza Pahlavi at a demonstration in Berlin, Germany, in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran.

The demonstrations, which began on December 28, were initially triggered by the catastrophic collapse of the Iranian rial. However, the movement has rapidly evolved into a direct challenge to the theocracy’s 45-year rule. With the country squeezed by international sanctions related to its nuclear program, the economic desperation has transformed into a fight for total political freedom.

Airlines, including Austrian and Turkish Airlines, have suspended flights into the country as the security situation remains volatile and unpredictable.