Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has urged the country to stop executions related to recent protests, following the 19 July execution of two men: Erfan Esfandiari, reportedly 18, and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, an Afghan national aged 23. The Mission strongly condemned these executions, noting a broader increase in the use of the death penalty amid ongoing regional hostilities and domestic unrest since late February.
Twelve men were arrested after protests on 8 January in Isfahan’s Alikhani Square, which resulted in four security force deaths. The Mission noted that families of at least two of the remaining ten detainees have been summoned for final visits, suggesting more executions may be imminent. These executions are part of a pattern linked to nationwide protests that began in December, with multiple sentences carried out in recent months.
In March and April, several young men were executed after convictions related to violence against security personnel and paramilitary groups. Reports indicate over 60 people, including at least three women and two boys, have been sentenced to death since December. The Iranian Judiciary confirmed 23 men have already been executed for protest-related offenses since March.
The Mission expressed concern about expedited judicial procedures, citing a 15 July statement by Tehran Prosecutor General Ali Salehi. He announced that all cases involving hostilities since late February and protests starting in December had been finalized and sent to courts, following instructions from Judiciary Head Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i. This has raised fears of additional death sentences and executions.
The rights experts reiterated their call for Iran to immediately halt all protest-related executions and to impose a moratorium on capital punishment in the country.