Iran using war to cover up executions of political dissidents, activist claims
Iranian activist Sheyda Rahbari says the Islamic regime’s execution campaign against political dissidents is intensifying as authorities tighten their grip on the population. The government, she said, is increasingly issuing direct threats of arrest and execution. Rahbari pointed to the execution of 18-year-old protester Amir Hussein Hamedi as a particularly painful illustration of the regime’s brutality.
An Iranian anti-regime protester was hanged at dawn on Oct. 5 inside Isfahan Central Prison—just hours after he married his imprisoned fiancée by telephone from the jail, The Times reported Thursday.
Alireza Sepahi, 25, was executed with his co-defendant, Alireza Raisi, after both were sentenced to death over their participation in anti-government protests at Isfahan’s Alikhani Square on Jan. 8, according to Human Rights Iran.
Sepahi and his fiancée, 22-year-old student activist Mahshad Keshani, had known and loved each other before they were arrested during demonstrations against the regime, the report said.
Alireza Sepahi, 25, was executed alongside co-defendant Alireza Raisi after being sentenced to death for their roles in anti-government protests at Isfahan’s Alikhani Square. (Iran Human Rights)
Keshani, who is serving a five-year prison sentence, pressed for an informal wedding Sunday as concern grew that Sepahi’s execution was near following a final summons issued to his family.
The couple exchanged their vows by phone from inside Isfahan prison, with both of their fathers taking part.
Human rights attorney Amirsalar Davoudi arranged the ceremony and read the vows so the fathers could bless the marriage.
As a traditional dowry, Keshani’s family provided a Quran, saffron rock candy and a single red rose.
“It was Mahshad’s idea,” Davoudi told The Times. “Even now, I wonder how one young woman can possess such courage.”
Iranians attend an anti-government demonstration in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
Davoudi said he warned Keshani that the marriage would be permanent and could not be easily reversed.
“I told her, ‘My dear, you understand that this cannot simply be undone?’” Davoudi recalled.
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Her response was direct: “Mr. Davoudi, I love Alireza.”
When Davoudi delivered the proposal to Sepahi, the young prisoner began to cry.
“Alireza was crying, and something deeply painful and beautiful happened. Even the prison officers began to cry,” Davoudi said.
The ceremony carried no legal power to stop the execution. Sepahi had already survived an attempted hanging in July, when he suffered a heart attack while being taken to the gallows. After he regained consciousness, authorities rescheduled the execution.
On Monday morning, only hours after the couple exchanged vows, Sepahi was hanged.
Iranian security forces escalated from using pellet guns to firing live ammunition during the protests. (Getty)
Sepahi is one of seven defendants executed in the Alikhani Square case. Twelve men were accused of involvement in the deaths of four security personnel.
After the hanging, Sepahi’s family was reportedly prevented by authorities from burying their son in his hometown.
Davoudi condemned the Iranian regime’s actions.
“I do not know how to come to terms with this,” Davoudi said.
“The regime is taking revenge on innocent young people for the humiliation it has suffered internationally.”
Human rights groups report Keshani remains in custody, facing additional security charges.
This came as Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), urged U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to take immediate international action to halt executions and the killing of protesters in Iran, citing thousands of executions and decades of impunity for human rights abuses.
In a letter ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty on Oct. 10, Rajavi called for international accountability, independent investigations and diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran to end the executions.
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