Iran publicly executed two young men on Tuesday in Isfahan, accused of involvement in anti-government protests, according to reports from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and Iranian state media. The executions in Shahid Alikhani Square have drawn international condemnation and come amid an escalating crackdown on dissent in the country.
Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi were hanged after being convicted of charges including "enmity against God" and "corruption on Earth." Iranian authorities alleged the men were responsible for the deaths of four members of the State Security Force during protests on January 8. The judiciary stated the men had legal representation, appealed their sentences, and that convictions were based on police reports, cellphone evidence, witness testimony, confessions, and a crime scene reconstruction.
The NCRI, however, alleged that the defendants were denied due process, including the right to choose their own lawyers, and that their court-appointed attorneys were not granted access to case files. Human rights groups have also accused Iranian authorities of coercing confessions and carrying out unfair trials.
The executions are the latest in a series of harsh measures against demonstrators who began nationwide protests in late December. According to the NCRI, security forces were deployed on rooftops and in surrounding streets to preempt public outcry. Onlookers were reported to have chanted "Dishonorable, dishonorable!" before security forces used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Badjani and Hosseinabadi are among at least 12 individuals sentenced to death in what has become known as the Alikhani Square case. Two other defendants in the same case, Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, were executed on July 19, bringing the total number of executions in this specific case to four. United Nations experts have warned that the remaining defendants in the Alikhani Square case face an imminent risk of execution.
Human Rights Watch reported that at least 50 people have been executed in Iran over the past four months, often on charges related to national security. These executions are seen by some as an attempt by the government to instill fear and deter further protests.
The protests, initially sparked by an economic crisis, evolved into one of the most significant anti-government movements in the Islamic Republic's history.