Four years after the death in custody of Jina Mahsa Amini, the grievances behind the Woman, Life, Freedom movement remain unaddressed. The January protests added another layer of loss to those already accumulated. Each cycle of protest has been met with repression rather than answers, so the grievances remain. Iran has a long history of protest, and the State’s response follows a familiar pattern: lethal force, arbitrary detention, executions, protesters labelled as spies and terrorists, and pressure on their families. What has changed is its severity. Meanwhile, the space to protest has all but closed. Constitutional limits, permit requirements, broadly drafted security offences and the 2025 Espionage Law mean almost any form of protest may be treated as unlawful. Mahboubeh Shabani, from Mashhad, used her motorcycle to take people injured in the January protests to safety and medical care. She has been sentenced to death under the Espionage Law for ‘operational action to strengthen Israel, the United States and agents affiliated with Reza Pahlavi.’ In an audio message recorded from prison, she voiced concern for other prisoners facing execution and described the psychological toll of living with that threat. Two days later, she was moved to solitary confinement, a transfer that often comes before an execution. She has not had the chance to appeal. Ali Zarei suffered a serious eye injury from shotgun pellets allegedly fired by security forces in the 2022 Woman Life Freedom movement. Arrested after returning to Iran in April 2026, he has been sentenced to death for ‘corruption on earth’ over ‘widespread political activities.’ On 21 September, he too was moved to solitary confinement. I have referred to others facing the death penalty in connection with protests: Mohsen Eslamkhah, Rauf Sheikh-Maroufi, Mohammad Faraji, Shervin Bagherian Jebeli, Taraneh Rahimi and Benyamin Naghdi. Alireza Sepahi was executed on 5 October. (Please note that I can only name cases where I have obtained consent.) Helping the injured, calling for change, taking to the streets: in Iran today, each can lead to a death sentence. Yet, more than four decades of history show that repression has not stopped people from taking to the streets. It has only deepened the grievances that bring them there. I urge the authorities to halt all executions and quash all death sentences linked to the protests, and to recognise peaceful dissent not as a threat, but as part of a healthy society. My mandate’s communication on Mahboubeh Shabani and Ali Zarei will be published here soon: spcommreports.ohchr.org/Tmse… My mandate’s communication on Mohsen Eslamkhah, Rauf Sheikh-Maroufi and Mohammad Faraji spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMRe… Response by the Iranian authorities spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMRe… My mandate’s communication on Shervin Bagherian Jebeli spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMRe… Response by the government received but not yet published. It will become available here: spcommreports.ohchr.org/TmSe… My mandate’s communication on Taraneh and Romina Rahimi Not yet published but it will become available here: spcommreports.ohchr.org/tmse… My mandate’s communication on Benyamin Naghdi Will become available on 20 October here, and the response is yet to be published: spcommreports.ohchr.org/Tmse…