Death Sentence Communicated in the “Shandiz Case”; Growing Concerns Over the Fate of Nine Other Detainees

Breathing in Confinement, Saturday, 1 August 2026: The formal notification of a death sentence issued against Mehdi Zarif, one of those arrested during the January protests this year, has raised serious concerns about the fate of nine other detainees in the case known as the “Shandiz Detainees” case.

According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, several individuals arrested during the January protests in the city of Shandiz are at risk of receiving severe sentences, including the death penalty. According to information received, the death sentence imposed on Mehdi Zarif, one of the defendants in the case, has now been formally communicated to him, heightening concerns over the situation of the remaining detainees.

During the protests on 8 and 9 January this year in Shandiz, at least ten citizens were arrested. They have been accused of participating in the burning of a Hosseiniyeh (a Shia religious congregation hall). The detainees, who are currently being held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, are: Najmeh Amini, Mehdi Zarif, Ilya Akbari, Sajjad Cheraghi, Matin Shabani, Farshad Hosseinpour, Majid Hosseinpour, Hossein Safarpour, Hossein Rasoulinasab, and Ali Zaghi.

The formal notification of Mehdi Zarif’s death sentence in connection with this case has significantly increased concerns that similar sentences may be imposed on the other detainees. Reports also indicate that Najmeh Amini is facing serious charges, and sources close to her family have expressed concern that she, too, may be sentenced to death.

Judicial proceedings in the case remain ongoing. However, reports indicate that the defendants have been denied access to legal counsel of their own choosing since the time of their arrest, raising serious concerns regarding compliance with fair trial standards, the right to an effective defence, and the fundamental procedural safeguards guaranteed to criminal defendants. Continued uncertainty surrounding the judicial process, together with the possibility of further severe sentences, has intensified these concerns.