Iranian media outlets have reported that Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi, two detainees arrested during the Dey protests, have been executed. Iran’s state-run news agency, IRNA, reported on Tuesday morning, 28 July, that the two men were executed on charges of involvement in the killing of four law enforcement personnel at Shahid Alikhani Square in the Malekshahr district of Isfahan.
Earlier, on 19 July, Iran’s judiciary had announced the execution of Erfan Esfandiyari and Golmohammad Mohammadi, two other defendants in the same case. With the implementation of these sentences, the number of people executed in the case known as the “Isfahan Alikhani Square” case has reached four.
Hours before the executions were carried out, reports emerged from Alikhani Square in Isfahan indicating that scaffolding had been erected for the implementation of the death sentences. Some media outlets and sources on social media also reported that the families of several defendants had been contacted for a “final visit” before the executions.
At the same time, reports circulated on social media about efforts by some citizens to gather near Alikhani Square and about security forces confronting those attempting to assemble. Iranian authorities have not yet commented on these reports.
The Dey protests in Iran began last year with demonstrations against rising living costs and the declining value of the national currency. The protests spread to various cities on 8 and 9 January and were brought to an end following intervention by security forces.
The Iranian government has stated that more than 3,000 people were killed during the protests; however, some human rights organizations have rejected this figure as incomplete and have reported a higher number of fatalities than the official figures. Iranian officials have also stated that more than 100 police, security, and law enforcement personnel were killed during the unrest.
Following the protests, dozens of people were arrested and tried in various cases, with death sentences issued and carried out against some defendants. Meanwhile, reports indicate that since the beginning of the military confrontation involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, executions in Iran have increased, with dozens of people reportedly executed on charges including espionage and cooperation with foreign countries.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
