Death Sentence Issued Against Mehdi Roshani, Arrested During the January 2026 Protests in Malekshahi

Breathing in Confinement, Tuesday, 4 August 2026: Mehdi Roshani, a Kurdish citizen and one of those arrested during the January 2026 protests, has been sentenced to death on charges including the alleged killing of a police officer.

According to *Breathing in Confinement*, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Mehdi Roshani, a resident of Malekshahi, was arrested following public protests in the city on 6 January. He was released on bail in mid-May, but was re-arrested by security forces approximately two weeks later. The judiciary subsequently sentenced him to death. According to reports, his family was informed of the sentence around one month ago.

According to information received, the principal charge against Mehdi Roshani is the alleged murder of a police officer identified as Ehsan Aghajani. However, informed sources have expressed serious concern about the circumstances under which his alleged confessions were obtained, emphasising that it remains unclear under what conditions and by what methods these confessions were secured.

Reports indicate that since his re-arrest, he has been held in complete incommunicado detention, without effective access to legal counsel or regular contact with his family.

A knowledgeable source familiar with his case, citing an individual who saw Mehdi after his transfer from Tehran, stated that he was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture during detention in an attempt to force him to confess. According to the witness, his body bore extensive signs of injury, including marks consistent with electric shocks and severe beatings. Despite this, he reportedly resisted the pressure and refused to admit to the charges against him.

The same source added that Mehdi Roshani’s family, who come from a socially and economically disadvantaged background, have been subjected to pressure and threats intended to silence them. According to the source, his parents lack even basic means of communication. The people of Malekshahi have endured years of poverty and deprivation, and the January 2026 protests arose from demands for basic rights and essential living conditions.