Abolfazl Sepahi, 24, was publicly hanged on July 28 in Isfahan
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Amirhossein Safari, 27, was also executed in Isfahan early Tuesday local time, following the erection of an iron scaffold in Alikhani Square where protests erupted on January 8
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The two young men were arrested in connection with the protests in Isfahan’s Alikhani Square on January 8
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Abolfazl Sepahi was 25 years old and from Isfahan, and Amirhossein Safari, 28, was also from Isfahan and had a physical disability, having lost the use of his left hand after an accident a few years ago
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A rare act of public defiance unfolded in the central city of Isfahan, where residents gathered before dawn in a failed attempt to stop the public execution of two protesters
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Videos shared online late Monday night showed preparations being made for the executions in Alikhani Square, and groups of people began gathering at the location to protest against the planned executions
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According to unofficial videos and reports, the two protesters were hanged at the same time as the call for morning prayer at around 3:40 am local time
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An angry crowd gathered at dawn and began chanting against the police, prompting anti-riot officers to intervene, and police dispersed the crowd and chased people through nearby streets and alleys, using Tasers and tear gas and firing warning shots
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According to obtained video footage, chants of “Dishonorable! Dishonorable!” can be heard as citizens protest the executions
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“After dispersing the crowd, they turned off the lights again, shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ and executed them,” a witness said
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Clashes broke out between people and special unit forces present at the scene, and reports indicate that after dispersing the gathering, security forces pursued citizens in the surrounding alleys of Alikhani Square in Isfahan
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Iran’s judiciary said the two men had been convicted of membership in groups acting against national security, “enmity against God”, “corruption on Earth”, and involvement in the killing of four police officers during the January uprising
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They were sentenced to death following a grossly unfair mass trial involving dozens of defendants
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The protesters were denied the right to choose their own lawyers, and even their court-appointed lawyers were denied access to the case files
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Rights groups allege the two men were tortured into making forced confessions and denied access to independent legal counsel
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In the viral moment that prompted international condemnation,
people in Isfahan and cities across Iran described staying awake through the night in the hope that the executions would be halted, mourning the two men after dawn and praising those who gathered despite a heavy security presence around the execution site
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The execution of two more protesters early Tuesday triggered widespread grief, anger and defiance across Iran, with many saying the hangings had strengthened, rather than broken, their resolve to oppose the Islamic Republic
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“By resorting once again to the medieval practice of public hangings, the Islamic Republic is trying to instill fear throughout society and deter future protests,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Iran Human Rights Director
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“With this medieval public crime and the successive executions of Mojahedin youth and brave protesters, the religious dictatorship is desperately trying to prevent an explosion of popular anger and the rise of public protests, however, this only strengthens the resolve of the rebellious youths to overthrow this bloodthirsty regime,” said Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
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The public execution of the two protesters, following the arbitrary execution of at least three other protesters the week before, marks a further escalation in the authorities’ use of the death penalty to quash dissent, and at least 60 others, including three arrested as children, remain at risk of execution after being sentenced to death
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Eight other prisoners sentenced to death in the same case are: Alireza Sepahi, 24, Ghaem Hosseini, 20, Shervin Bagherian, 18, Amirhossein Ebrahimi Analucheh, 19, Amirhossein Maleki, 19, Ali Dashti, 19, Abolfazl Ebrahimi, 18, and Alireza Raeisi, 21
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Previously, Erfan Esfandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, two other defendants in the case, were hanged
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Witnesses described police dispersing the crowd and chasing people through nearby streets and alleys, using Tasers and tear gas and firing warning shots
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