Iranian authorities publicly executed two protesters in the central city of Isfahan on Tuesday, despite calls from United Nations human rights experts to halt the executions over concerns about fair trial standards and allegations of coerced confessions.
The executions took place early Tuesday morning in Shahid Alikhani Square in Isfahan’s Malekshahr district, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency and the state-affiliated Fars news agency. The men were identified as Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi and Abolfazl Sepahi Badjiani.
The pair were among 12 defendants sentenced to death in connection with protests that erupted in Alikhani Square on January 8. Iranian authorities accused them of participating in violence that resulted in the deaths of four members of the Basij militia and special security units. Prosecutors also alleged the defendants were involved in arson and vandalism during the unrest.
According to Fars, security personnel were attacked, set on fire and killed during the clashes. Iranian officials have maintained that the defendants played a direct role in those events.
The executions followed reports on social media that an execution scaffold had been erected in the square. Videos circulating online appeared to show the structure being assembled while security forces surrounded the area. Those videos could not be independently verified.
Witnesses and social media users reported a heavy security presence throughout Monday night, with some describing brief confrontations between security personnel and civilians who gathered near the execution site.
A source close to Safari’s family said relatives had been summoned to Isfahan Central Prison before the executions, believing they were being given an opportunity for a final visit.
Tuesday’s executions bring the number of people executed in the Alikhani Square case to four. Two other defendants, Golmohammad Mohammadi and Erfan Esfandiari, were executed on July 19. Eight others remain under death sentences.
The executions went ahead despite an appeal issued Monday by United Nations human rights experts led by Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. The experts urged Tehran to suspend the planned executions, arguing that the judicial proceedings raised serious concerns.
In a statement, the UN experts said sentencing 12 people to death in a single hearing held behind closed doors, without clearly establishing each defendant’s individual responsibility, failed to meet internationally recognized fair trial standards.
The UN also said many of the defendants, who were reportedly in their late teens or early twenties when arrested, had allegedly experienced arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and, in some cases, ill-treatment. According to the experts, the convictions relied heavily on confessions broadcast by Iranian state television before trials had begun, while court proceedings were conducted in secret and judgments were not publicly released.
Among those still awaiting execution is Shervin Bagherian Jebeli, who had recently turned 18 before his arrest. UN experts said his televised confession was aired within days of his detention and before any court proceedings.
The UN human rights office said at least 24 people have been executed this year in connection with the January protests.
Iranian authorities have said that 3,117 people were killed during protests that began in Tehran in December over soaring inflation before expanding into nationwide anti-government demonstrations. Human rights organizations have reported substantially higher casualty estimates, with some placing the death toll at up to 42,000. UN officials have said the full extent of civilian casualties remains difficult to verify because of restrictions on independent access and internet disruptions.
