For months, Iran’s extremist government has been scrambling to try to squash unrest in the country after state police murdered 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Now, as the movement continues unabated and seems to be swelling in determination, the government has been turning to public executions to try to instill fear.

Activists in the country and familiar with the methods of the Iranian government say that the escalation to public executions is no surprise.

Saeed, a business owner in his 30s from Tehran who has been backing the protests on social media, told NBC News this week, “They want to create fear for the people who are involved.” He added, “They want to show the public that their actions will not go unpunished and that there are rules in the system.” The goal is so that “families stop their children from going out to protest.”

Abbas Milani, director of Iranian studies at Stanford University, says, “The regime knows it is fighting for its life.” Although they initially tried to contain the protestors, “Now they need to put the fear in people’s hearts again.”