An iron scaffold erected Monday in the central Iranian city of Isfahan has raised fears that authorities are preparing to publicly execute more protesters arrested during January's nationwide unrest, sources told Iran International. The scaffold was installed in Alikhani Square, where protests erupted on January 8. Twelve young men convicted in what became known as the Alikhani Square case were sentenced to death. Two of them—Golmohammad Mohammadi and Erfan Esfandiari—were executed on July 19. Witness accounts circulating on social media described Alikhani Square as being under heavy security on Monday night.
A source close to the family of Amirhossein Safari, another defendant in the case, told Iran International that relatives had been summoned to Isfahan Central Prison for what they believed could be a final visit. The concerns were echoed by prominent Iranian activist Mehdi Mahmoudian, who wrote on X that several families of the ten remaining death-row prisoners in the Alikhani Square case had also been instructed to report to the prison for final visits. Mahmoudian identified cousins Alireza Sepahi and Abolfazl Sepahi among those facing what he described as an imminent risk of execution. He also noted that two other defendants in the case had already been executed.
The visible deployment of security forces around the scaffold has further fuelled fears that additional executions could be carried out publicly. Iranian authorities accuse the defendants of involvement in the killing of four security personnel, as well as arson and vandalism during the January protests. Officials say four members of the Basij militia and Special Unit forces were killed during clashes in the area.
Earlier on Monday, UN experts led by Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, urged the authorities to halt the executions of the ten remaining defendants. "Sentencing 12 people to death in one hearing, in a closed courtroom and without clarity as to each defendant's individual responsibility violates established fair trial standards," the experts said. They said the defendants, aged from their late teens to their early twenties, were reportedly subjected to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and, in some cases, ill-treatment. According to the experts, the convictions relied heavily on confessions broadcast on state television, while Revolutionary Court hearings were held behind closed doors and the judgments were never made public. (Ed note: President Trump just said, "I have plenty of time." Hey, Trump, those people don't! And the Iranian people continue to die under the hand of the Islamic Republic.) (Read More)
