Huge crowds gathered in Isfahan, Iran, as two men, Abolfazl Sepahi and Amir-Hossein Safari, were publicly executed in Alikhani Square on Tuesday. The executions were carried out for their alleged involvement in anti-regime demonstrations that began earlier in the year.
The Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website confirmed the sentences, stating the men were found guilty of charges including "moharebeh (waging war against God)" and "corruption on earth" for acts that disrupted public order and security. These acts reportedly involved attacking police officers, dousing them with gasoline, and setting them on fire on January 8.
Footage circulating on social media depicted scaffolding and a crane erected in Alikhani Square for the executions. The Mehr news agency reported the event took place in a square in Malekshahr, located in the central Isfahan province.
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These executions are part of a broader crackdown linked to the protests, which were initially sparked by the high cost of living and evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations. Iranian authorities claim more than 3,000 deaths, attributing violence to actions orchestrated by the United States and Israel, while rights groups contend that security forces fired on protesters.
Sepahi and Safari were among twelve young men convicted in what became known as the 'Alikhani Square' case, with all sentenced to death. Two others from this group, Golmohammad Mohammadi and Erfan Esfandiari, were executed on July 19.
Earlier on Monday, UN experts, led by Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, urged the Iranian regime to halt the executions of the ten remaining defendants. The experts noted that sentencing 12 people to death in a single hearing, in a closed courtroom, and without clarity on individual responsibility violates fair trial standards.
The UN experts stated that the accused, aged from their late teens to early twenties, allegedly faced arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and ill-treatment. They claimed convictions were heavily reliant on confessions broadcast on state television, obtained before any public trial and violating the presumption of innocence.
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With the latest executions, four individuals have now been put to death in the Alikhani Square case, leaving eight others still under sentence of death despite international calls for the Islamic Republic to cease these actions. According to Amnesty International, Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions globally, trailing only China.
Journalist and activist Masih Alinejad commented on the executions, expressing frustration with a regime that "kills in public, in squares, in daylight, to make sure you never forget who is in charge."
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