Iranian judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said that ‘any delay will reduce the effect of deterrence,’ in comments broadcast on state TV.
The head of Iran’s judiciary on Jan. 14 said there would be fast trials for those suspected of serious crimes during the nationwide protests sweeping the country, followed by swift punishment for those deemed guilty.
“If a person burned someone, beheaded someone and set them on fire then we must do our work quickly,” Iranian Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said in comments reported by The Times of Israel, citing the AFP news agency.
“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” Mohseni-Ejei added, according to Al Jazeera, which is primarily funded by the Qatari government.
Delays will reduce the effect of deterrence, he added.
“If it becomes late—two months, three months late—it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast,” he said.
The judiciary chief also said the trials should be held in public, The Times of Israel reported, citing Iranian media.
Iran frequently utilizes the death penalty, with the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reporting that 2,063 individuals were executed in the country in 2025.
Mohseni-Ejei’s comments come as activists say the death toll of the protests has soared into the thousands.
“In terms of human losses, the deaths of 2,403 protesters have been confirmed. Among those killed, 12 children (individuals under 18 years of age) have been recorded,” HRANA said on Jan. 13.
“Additionally, nine non-protesting civilians (neither military personnel nor protesters) are included among the deceased. On the other side, 147 members of security forces and government supporters have been killed, including at least five civilian supporters of the government.”
That puts the total deaths at 2,571, far outstripping the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades.
HRANA also stated that as of the 17th day of protests, a total of 614 protest gatherings have been recorded across Iran, taking place in 187 cities in all 31 provinces of the country.
Some 18,434 individuals have been confirmed as arrested, while 97 cases of forced confessions have been broadcast, and 1,134 people have been severely injured.
The Epoch Times is unable to independently verify HRANA’s figures.
Trump, in an interview with CBS on Jan. 13, warned Iranian leaders that they face “very strong action” if reports accusing them of hanging protesters in the country were true.
When asked about the “end game” in Iran, Trump pointed to the examples of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who were both eliminated during Trump’s first term.
“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen, and you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing. When they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging, we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good,” Trump said.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump had earlier encouraged protesters to keep up the pressure on the regime and to take over the country’s institutions. All meetings with Iranian officials were canceled until the killing stopped, he said.
“Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” he said.
“Help is on its way,” he added in all-caps.
By Guy Birchall
