IRAN - “Protester” Matin Shabani Sentenced to Death in Mashhad

November 5, 2026 - IRAN. “Protester” Matin Shabani Sentenced to Death in Mashhad // On November 2, Hrana (and HoC) reported that three protesters had been sentenced to death, identifying one of them: Matin Farnian. On November 4, Hrana identified a second man: Vahid Khodrikhah (Vahid Khedrikhah), and today, November 5, Hengaw also identified the third: Matin Shabani

Iranian authorities have sentenced Matin Shabani, Vahid Khedrikhah, and Matin Farnian, three men arrested during the January 2026 protests, to death on charges of “moharebeh” (waging war against God). The rulings were issued by Branch 5 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court and formally communicated to them in Vakilabad Prison.

According to information received by Hengaw, the court, presided over by Judge Hossein Yazdankhah, with Seyed Reza Javad Mousavi serving as an advisory judge, convicted Shabani of “moharebeh” over alleged involvement in the destruction of public property and the burning of religious sites, as well as “gathering and collusion against national security.”

Shabani was arrested in Shandiz during the protests on January 8 and 9, 2026, and subsequently transferred to Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison.

In a separate case, the same court sentenced Khedrikhah, 34, and Farnian, 23, both from Mashhad, to death for “moharebeh.” A fourth individual, whose identity remains under investigation, was also tried alongside them.

The two men were arrested in Mashhad on January 18 and 19, 2026, in connection with the protests and transferred to Vakilabad Prison.

Khedrikhah had been wounded by gunfire from Iranian security forces before his arrest. Both men remain imprisoned in Ward 1/6.