Public executions have returned to the streets of Iran as authorities step up pressure on dissent following months of war with the United States and nationwide protests in January, human rights groups and relatives of those executed said.
The cases highlighted renewed concerns about the use of the death penalty in proceedings linked to protests and allegations of coercion during detention. The United Nations human rights chief said the executions form part of a widening post-war crackdown.
Executions in Isfahan
Human rights groups said cranes were used to set up hanging ropes in Isfahan, a central city, where three young protesters were executed.
Amirhossein Safari, 27, Abolfazl Sepahi, 23, and Alirez Sepahi, 25, were taken by van to Alikhani Street, according to the groups. They were hanged for alleged crimes connected to protests against the regime in January.
News of the planned execution circulated early on Tuesday, July 28, prompting security measures at Alikhani Square in Isfahan. Scaffolding was installed in the early hours, and a crane was brought to the site as forces gathered, raising fears the executions could be carried out in public.
Eyewitnesses told ABC News that the defendants were transported to the square in a van, escorted by a truck carrying a machine gun on its back to deter protesters. Videos shared online showed people chanting slogans, clashes breaking out and others fleeing as security forces moved in.
The men arrived at dawn, shortly before the morning prayer call, a time when Iranian law requires execution sentences to be carried out.
While Safari and Abolfazl Sepahi were hanged on Thursday, Alireza Sepahi did not reach the gallows and was taken to hospital after collapsing, which human rights groups described as heatstroke or a heart attack.
Scale of executions and legal warnings
The Islamic Republic has executed at least 56 people on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 connected to the January protests, Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement on Wednesday. Türk warned that more than 100 others face the possibility of execution on similar charges, urging scrutiny of the cases.
In the Alikhani case described by Iranian judiciary and human rights sources, 12 young men were sentenced to death and several others received prison terms of five to 10 years. Of the 12 sentenced to death, four had been hanged and eight were awaiting execution at the time of reporting.
Lawyers in Iran told ABC News that the true number of people at risk on protest-related national security charges could be higher than UN estimates.
Allegations of torture and pressure on families
Relatives and friends of defendants in the Alikhani case told ABC News that the regime forced them to confess. They said the men were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture for days and were not allowed to choose a lawyer.
The families, who asked not to be named for their safety and to prevent further pressure on their sons, said the court in some instances rejected evidence meant to show the defendants were not at the alleged crime scene during the time in question.
They also said the pro bono lawyer assigned by the judiciary was not given access to the case during the trial and was refused access even after the death sentence was issued. The relatives added that the lawyer and the defendants’ parents were told about the sentence only after the court had delivered it.
Türk condemned the death sentences in the case last week and expressed concern about the judicial process and reports that statements described as confessions were “allegedly obtained under torture and other ill-treatment”. He said the death penalty is “incompatible with the right to life” and “irreconcilable with human dignity”, adding it “has no place in our world”.
Amnesty International also condemned the hangings in a statement on Tuesday following the executions of Safari and Abolfazl Sepahi. It warned that three of the prisoners on death row had been arrested as children.
Amnesty said the lack of a strong international response risked encouraging Iranian authorities to continue executions, and called on UN member states to take urgent coordinated diplomatic action to halt further killings.
Relatives and contacts of imprisoned protesters told ABC News that security and intelligence forces have warned detainees not to speak to the media and threatened consequences, including harm to other family members, if they do.
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10 August 2026
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