Tragic Death of Iranian Protester Hours After Wedding
In a particularly cruel incident, 25-year-old protester Alireza Sepahi was executed early Monday, just hours after he married his imprisoned fiancée, Mahshad Keshani, 22, during a phone call from jail.
Both Sepahi and Keshani were detained during a harsh crackdown on protests earlier this year. The Oslo-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) noted that they were already in love before the protests commenced.
IHRNGO reported that 62 individuals were arrested during demonstrations in Alikhani Square, Isfahan, on January 8, where the regime claimed four police officers died. By the time Sepahi was taken to the gallows at Isfahan Central Prison, twelve of the protestors had been sentenced to death, and five had already been executed.
To date, the Iranian government has executed 34 protesters for demonstrations that took place in late 2026 and early 2026, with thousands more reportedly killed by forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, labeled as a terrorist entity.
IHRNGO has documented serious abuses during these proceedings, including torture, to extract confessions from detainees. Sepahi’s execution was postponed from an earlier date due to a heart attack he suffered, despite his relatively young age and previously good health.
After one of Iran’s “revolutionary courts” turned down his last appeal, Sepahi was placed in “pre-execution solitary confinement” on September 12. The couple managed to marry over the phone on October 4. Both Keshani and Sepahi’s mother are currently serving five-year prison sentences after being arbitrarily arrested in January.
Amirsalar Davoudi, a human rights attorney, revealed that the wedding was Keshani’s idea. He read the vows aloud during the ceremony, which he later recorded. The bride’s family provided a dowry that included meaningful items such as a Quran, some saffron candy, and a single rose. Tragically, Sepahi was executed just hours after this ceremony.
Davoudi recalled expressing to Keshani that the situation was irreversible. She reaffirmed her feelings, saying, “Mr. Davoudi, I love Alireza.” Upon learning about the wedding plans, Sepahi was moved to tears.
“It was a moment of immense pain yet beauty, one that even moved the prison staff to tears,” he recounted.
Davoudi reflected on Keshani’s remarkable courage in the face of such suffering, as reported by various media outlets.
The couple’s lawyers speculated that perhaps the marriage might delay the execution, but authorities denied any related connection and obstructed an in-person ceremony.
Adding to the family’s distress, Sepahi’s remains were not returned for burial in Isfahan but instead sent to Kashan, about 125 miles away.
The ongoing executions of protesters persist, with many more facing death sentences or severe charges. This grim trend, which began with street killings of January protestors, has now shifted to executions, as IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stated.
He emphasized that demanding an immediate halt to all executions should be a priority for any government engaged diplomatically with Iran.
Human Rights Watch and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center recently released a joint report criticizing Iran’s rampant executions, describing them as unlawful, characterized by “unfair and expedited trials” where confessions are coerced through torture, and defense evidence is overlooked.
HRW researcher Bahar Saba remarked that the Iranian authorities are persistently sending protesters, even teenagers, to their deaths based on confessing under duress and through processes that are far too brief to properly adjudicate any case, especially for serious charges.
“The clear message from the authorities is that protests will face brutal repercussions, whether through violence in the streets or through public executions after farcical trials,” Saba stated.
Davoudi mentioned to a London publication that he hopes the story of Sepahi and Keshani will galvanize international pressure on Tehran to end the execution spree.
“I hope love will conquer that damned rope. If they execute him tonight, I’ll lose my faith,” he lamented, moments before the execution occurred.
