Alireza Sepahi, a 25-year-old man, was executed by the Iranian regime on October 5, 2026, in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, simply for demanding freedom.
His ordeal began on January 10, 2026, when he was arrested at his family home in connection with the nationwide protests. Several regime agents held him down and shot him four times in the legs. To this day, no evidence has been produced to substantiate the accusations against him. His teenage sister, his brother, and his mother were also arrested during this time. The regime destroyed everything inside their home, including even his sister’s dowry.
After undergoing surgery to remove the bullets from his legs, Alireza was quickly taken back to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. There, he endured days of horrific torture in an attempt to force a confession, and eventually, forced confessions were extracted from him. Several other defendants in his case also stated that during interrogations they were subjected to pressure and torture to make them confirm that Alireza Sepahi had been present at the scene of the incident. Despite these allegations, no independent and effective investigation has yet been conducted into whether statements were obtained under duress. He was then sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh, or waging war against God. His mother was held in the room next door so she could hear and witness what was being done to her son. When they failed to extract a confession from Alireza, they tortured his mother in front of him. She has since been sentenced to five years in prison, simply for being his mother.
Alireza was once taken to the gallows to be executed on July 28, 2026. During this harrowing experience, from the intensity of the fear and terror he had endured, he suffered a heart attack and a stroke, falling into a coma, and witnessing the execution of one of the people he loved most. He was rushed to a hospital, which became the only safe place left for his family, who prayed he would never be discharged, knowing what awaited him the moment he was. After a partial recovery, Alireza was released from the hospital and taken back to Dastgerd Prison, where he was moved to solitary confinement to face execution once again.
On October 4, 2026, Alireza was allowed one final family visit, having been transferred to solitary confinement the day before. The following day, on October 5, 2026, hours before his execution, the marriage ceremony of Alireza and Mahshad Keshani, 22, the woman he loved, was held inside the Isfahan prison over the phone. Mahshad had pushed for an informal wedding before Alireza could be killed. Amirsalar Davoudi, a human rights lawyer in Tehran, helped officiate the wedding, reading the couple’s vows for their fathers to bless. Mahshad’s family was only able to offer a copy of the Quran, a saffron rock candy, and a single red rose as dowry. Davoudi recalled Mahshad’s courage, stating, “It was Mahshad’s idea,” and “Even now, I wonder how one young woman can possess such courage.” When Davoudi passed on the plan to Alireza, the young man couldn’t believe what he was hearing and eventually broke down, with even the prison officers beginning to cry. Davoudi added, “I do not know how to come to terms with this,” and “The regime is taking revenge on innocent young people for the humiliation it has suffered internationally.”
At dawn on October 5, 2026, Alireza Sepahi was executed in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. He was among the more than 100 people sentenced to death for taking part in the January protests. His cousin, Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani, was also among the men hanged at Alikhani Square. Alireza’s execution, along with fellow prisoner Alireza Raisi, meant only five of the 12 accused in the Alikhani Square case, who were accused of killing four security guards during the protest, were still alive. Human rights groups reported that these defendants were forced to give false confessions under torture. Following his execution, Alireza’s family was prevented from burying their son in his hometown. A user on X also claimed that Alireza’s brother was executed. Mahshad Keshani has also been sentenced to five years in prison and now faces the pain of separation behind prison walls.