Executed Iranian Protester Married Via Prison Telephone
Alireza Sepahi, sentenced to death for participating in anti-regime protests in Iran, was executed shortly after marrying his imprisoned fiancée over the phone.
Alireza Sepahi, a 25-year-old sentenced to death for participating in anti-regime protests in Iran, was hanged in the early morning hours just hours after marrying his detained fiancée via a prison telephone line.
Telephone Wedding Inside Prison
Twenty-five-year-old Alireza Sepahi, held in Iran's Isfahan Central Prison, married his student activist fiancée Mahshad Keshani, who is serving a five-year sentence in the same prison, in a ceremony conducted over the prison telephone line.
Marriage Under Threat of Execution
Following the final summons to the family regarding the impending execution of the death sentence, and as fears mounted, his fiancée Mahshad Keshani requested an informal marriage to be solemnized, with the ceremony taking place through human rights lawyer Amirsalar Davoudi.
Execution and Trial Process
Alireza Sepahi had been sentenced to death in connection with demonstrations at Alikhani Square in Isfahan and was executed alongside co-defendant Alireza Raisi. Sepahi had previously avoided execution in July after suffering a heart attack as he was being led to the gallows.
International Reactions and Human Rights Violations
While human rights groups and activists state that executions of political dissidents by the Iranian regime have increased, National Council of Resistance of Iran President-elect Maryam Rajavi called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres for urgent international action.