Iran Faced with Allegations of Covering Up Executions

An Iranian activist, Sheyda Rahbari, has highlighted the alarming increase in executions of political dissidents by the Iranian regime. This surge is attributed to the government’s attempt to suppress dissent, with threats of arrest and execution.

Among the recent victims was an 18-year-old protestor, Amir Hussein Hamedi, executed by the authorities. In a separate incident, The Times reported the execution of an Iranian protester on October 5 at Isfahan Central Prison. The protester, Alireza Sepahi, 25, married his jailed fiancée, Mahshad Keshani, just hours before his execution. The couple wed via a prison phone line.

Sepahi faced the death penalty related to anti-government actions at Isfahan’s Alikhani Square on January 8. He and his co-defendant, Alireza Raisi, were sentenced to death. Human Rights Iran documented these sentences.

Mahshad Keshani, a 22-year-old student activist, is serving a five-year sentence. She decided on an informal wedding amid fears of Sepahi’s imminent execution, which was confirmed by a final family visitation.

The prison wedding saw the couple exchange vows over the phone, attended by their fathers. Human rights lawyer Amirsalar Davoudi facilitated the event, reading vows for parental approval. Keshani’s family provided traditional dowry items, including a Quran and a red rose. Davoudi praised Keshani’s bravery, stating, “It was Mahshad’s idea. Her courage remains remarkable.”

Despite the wedding ceremony, Sepahi faced execution. He had previously survived an earlier execution attempt in July, postponed after a heart attack en route to the gallows. Sepahi’s execution took place the following Monday.

Sepahi was one of seven executed in the Alikhani Square case, involving charges against 12 men for the deaths of four security officers. After his death, authorities prohibited Sepahi’s family from interring him in his hometown.

Davoudi condemned the Iran regime’s actions, stating, “The regime targets innocent young people in retaliation for its international humiliation.” Human rights organizations report that Keshani remains detained, facing further charges.

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, has called on U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to pressure Tehran to cease these executions. She highlights thousands of executions and years of unchecked human rights abuses. Rajavi’s plea, detailed in a letter preceding World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10, advocates for accountability, independent scrutiny, and increased diplomatic effort against Iran.