Death Sentence of Alireza Sepahi Moves Toward Execution After Retrial Approval, Without Court Hearing

The case of “Alireza Sepahi,” a young man sentenced to death in Isfahan, has once again faced the threat of execution following the Supreme Court’s approval of a retrial. His lawyer states that the parallel branch rejected the retrial request without holding a hearing session and sent the case to the execution branch for implementation.

Alireza Sepahi is one of the defendants in the case known as the “Aliqani Square” incident in Isfahan, and he faces execution while his case had previously been criticized by human rights organizations due to serious irregularities in the judicial process and evidence presented by the defense.

According to a recent report by news agency “HRANA,” following the Supreme Court’s approval of the retrial, Sepahi’s case was referred to the parallel branch of the Second Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Isfahan for reconsideration. However, this branch rejected the retrial request without holding a hearing session and sent the case to the execution branch for implementation.

“Shahrzad Shahbazi,” the defense lawyer for Alireza Sepahi, stated that following the Supreme Court’s acceptance of the retrial request, it was expected that the case would be reviewed again within the framework of legal procedures and with respect to the defendant’s defense rights. According to her, a new retrial request will be filed and the legal team will attempt to use all legal means to prevent execution.

Alireza Sepahi, born in 2001, was arrested during nationwide protests in December 2025 and transferred to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. His case is linked to events related to Aliqani Square in Isfahan—a case that has become a major concern for human rights organizations regarding the use of capital punishment against protesters in recent months.

According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, at least 12 people in this case had been sentenced to death, and four of them had been executed by the time of that report. The organization also expressed concerns about the judicial review process, restrictions on defendants’ access to lawyers, and reports of pressure to extract confessions.

Amnesty International also announced in August that eight other defendants in the same case, including Alireza Sepahi, were in imminent danger of execution. The organization cited reports of torture, mistreatment, and the dissemination of forced confessions by one defendant prior to trial, and called for a halt to executions.

Sepahi’s case had previously approached the point of execution. A report by the Iran Human Rights Organization on July 31 showed that Alireza Sepahi was scheduled to be executed along with several other defendants, but shortly before the execution was carried out, he suffered a cardiac incident and was transferred to a hospital. At the same time, he and several other defendants remained under immediate threat of execution.

This situation became more severe following the execution of two other defendants in the case, Abolfazl Sepahi and Amirhossein Safari, on July 28. Prior to that, Erfan Esfandiari and Golmohammad Mohammadi had been executed in Isfahan Prison.

The Spanish government also, following the execution of Abolfazl Sepahi and Amirhossein Safari, condemned the action and expressed concern about the danger of execution facing other defendants in the case, including Alireza Sepahi, and called for an immediate halt to remaining death sentences.

One of the primary concerns regarding Alireza Sepahi’s case is the manner of judicial review and the quality of evidence cited by the court. According to family members, there are CCTV footage and other documents that, according to their claims, show that Sepahi was not present at Aliqani Square at the time of the incident on which the case is based. However, according to HRANA’s report, this evidence has not been effectively reviewed.

It has also been reported that some other defendants in the case have claimed they were pressured during interrogation to confirm Alireza Sepahi’s role. To date, based on information released by human rights sources, an independent and effective investigation that could definitively confirm or refute these claims has not been conducted.

The significance of this case is not limited to the fate of a single prisoner. Human rights organizations examine it within the framework of a broader wave of death sentences and executions against protesters in Iran. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported in July that more than 70 detainees from the December protests were facing death sentences in Isfahan Prison, and at least 26 of them were being held in solitary cells or special sections before execution.

The Aliqani Square case has also been followed internationally with growing concern. International media have reported that the public executions in Isfahan and the fate of other defendants in this case, including Alireza Sepahi, have faced severe criticism from human rights organizations. The primary concern of these organizations, in addition to the death penalty itself, is the violation of fair trial standards and the possible use of confessions extracted under pressure.

Now, with Alireza Sepahi’s case being sent for execution, the threat of execution has become serious once again. The Supreme Court’s initial approval of the retrial could have been an opportunity to review the evidence and claims made about the case again. However, the parallel branch’s decision, without holding a hearing session, has effectively limited this opportunity.

With several other defendants in this case having been executed previously, the request by Alireza Sepahi’s lawyer for a halt to execution and case review has now reached a critical stage. His fate has become an urgent matter not only for his family, but also for human rights organizations monitoring the trial process of protesters and the use of capital punishment in Iran.

Currently, Alireza Sepahi remains in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan under a death sentence, and his lawyer has announced that legal efforts to halt the execution and reopen the judicial review process will continue.