Trump says Iran has stopped the execution of 8 protesting women after his request
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President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran would no longer execute eight women jailed for anti-government protests after he called for their release the previous day.
“Very good news! I have just been informed that the eight female protesters who will be executed tonight in Iran will not be executed,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
It is reported that four of these women will be released immediately, while the remaining four will serve one month in prison.
The president thanked Iran for stopping the killings, saying, “I am very grateful that Iran, and its leaders, have honored my request.”
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President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Trump had earlier said on social media on Tuesday that releasing the women would work for Iran during talks scheduled for later that day, when he finally announced a two-week extension of the ceasefire.
“To the leaders of Iran, who will soon be negotiating with me: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” Trump said Tuesday, in response to an activist’s post on X that included photos of the eight unidentified women.
“I’m sure they’ll respect the fact that you did. Please don’t hurt them! It would be a good start to our talks!!!”
An Iranian judge, however, quickly responded to Trump’s claims, denying that the women were ever killed, according to Middle East-focused media outlet New Arab.
“Trump has once again been misled by fake news,” said the justice website Mizan Online. “The women who were said to be about to be killed, some of them have been released, while others are facing charges that if they are convicted, they will be sent to prison.”
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Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC/AP)
According to human rights groups, Iran last week reportedly planned the execution of a female protester linked to the January uprising – marking Tehran’s first publicly reported case of the death penalty involving a woman.
She has been identified as Bita Hemmati and is among the eight women Trump has said will no longer face the death penalty.
Hemmati was convicted in a joint case with her husband and a neighbor, said the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
On Jan. 8 and 9, the group allegedly threw objects such as concrete blocks and incendiary items onto the roof of the house, injuring the security team, and engaged in “propaganda” against the regime in an attempt to weaken security, according to government authorities.
Protesters light a fire in the middle of the street during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC/AP)
Another Iranian journalist reported the identities of the other women on the X site, saying the accused were 16 years old.
One victim, identified as Mahboubeh Shabani, 33, is accused of helping protesters who were injured during the January protest, according to the Norway-based Hengaw rights group.
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The women’s sentences are the latest in a series of punishments handed down during the government’s broader crackdown on dissent.
Human rights groups say thousands of protesters may have been killed since the protests began earlier this year.
