Iran's Supreme Court Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said on Wednesday (January 14) that those “who beheaded people or burned people in the streets” should be “tried and punished as soon as possible”.

"Even if we do the exact same thing but in a couple of months, it will not have the same impact", Ejei said.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) group said it had so far verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated individuals. An Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday (January 13) that about 2,000 people had been killed.

Hengaw, an Iranian Kurdish rights group, has reported a 26-year-old man, Erfan Soltani, arrested in connection with protests in the city of Karaj, was to be executed on Wednesday. Hengaw told Reuters on Wednesday it had not been able to confirm whether the sentence had been carried out. Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

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Iran's chief justice calls for swift punishment for protest detainees

VIDEO SHOWS: COMMENTS FROM IRAN'S SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE, GHOLAM-HOSSEIN MOHSENI-EJEI

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS CLEAN VERSION OF AN EARLIER EDIT 6666-IRAN-ECONOMY/PROTESTS-EJEI

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: TEHRAN, IRAN (JANUARY 14, 2026) (POOL VIA WANA - No use BBC Persian. No use VOA Persian. No use Manoto. No use Iran International. No use Radio Farda)

1. IRAN SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE GHOLAM-HOSSEIN MOHSENI-EJEI DURING VISIT TO PRISON IN TEHRAN

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRAN SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE GHOLAM-HOSSEIN MOHSENI-EJEI, SAYING: (SOUNDBITE INCLUDES MULTIPLE ANGLES)

“This is what they rightfully expect directly from me, you, IRGC and the police: To number one: these individuals who have beheaded people or burned people in the streets; we must act quickly if we want to do anything. Even if we do the exact same thing but in a couple of months, it will not have the same impact. If we do the same in two or three months, it will not be as effective. Also, on tackling financial corruption, that’s also something we can do to help people feel better.“

3. EJEI SITTING AND LISTENING