Independent UN human rights investigators have called on Iran to immediately halt the execution of 10 men who participated in a protest in Isfahan earlier this year. The appeal follows the execution on 19 July of two men in the same case: Erfan Esfandiari, reportedly 18 years old, and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, a 23-year-old Afghan national, which the investigators strongly condemned.

All 12 men were arrested in connection with protests on 8 January in Isfahan’s Alikhani Square, which resulted in the deaths of four members of the security forces. According to credible information cited by the rights experts, families of at least two of the remaining 10 men have been summoned for final visits, suggesting that further executions may be imminent.

The executions are part of a broader pattern linked to nationwide protests that began in December 2025. In March, three young men were executed in Qom after being convicted in connection with the killing of security personnel. The following month, four young men were executed for an alleged attack on a Basij militia base in Tehran, a paramilitary group within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

According to the Iranian Judiciary, 23 men have been executed in relation to the protests since March. The Prosecutor stated that all cases related to hostilities in June, those beginning on 28 February, and protests starting on 28 December, have been finalized and referred to the courts.

The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran emphasized that these cases add to a rising toll amid increased use of the death penalty during periods of political and social unrest.

Sources