Warning: This report contains graphic content regarding state execution procedures and severe physical torture that may be disturbing to some readers.
On Thursday, July 30, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) confirmed, following days of local reports, that Alireza Sepahi, a 23-year-old protester from Isfahan, suffered a severe stroke hours before his scheduled execution. He was set to be executed alongside his cousin, Abolfazl Sepahi, and co-defendant Amirhossein Safari at dawn on Tuesday, July 28.
According to HRANA, Alireza was rushed to Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan, where medical staff successfully resuscitated him. However, hospital authorities immediately transferred him back to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, a move that has raised grave international and domestic concerns that the Islamic Republic’s judiciary intends to execute him in the coming days despite his critical health condition.
Protests, Public Gallows, and the Dawn of Execution
Alireza Sepahi is one of 14 young protesters sentenced to death in connection with the “Alikhani Square” protest case in Isfahan. On the evening of Monday, July 27, videos and photographs surfaced on social media showing municipal workers erecting public gallows in Alikhani Square, signalling the judiciary’s intention to carry out public executions.
