Issuance of death sentences for four citizens, including one woman, among those arrested during the January 2026 protests
28-April-2026
Category: Prisoners
26 April 2026
News Group: Prisoners –
Breathing in Confinement: Four individuals arrested during the January 2026 protests have been sentenced to death by the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges including “participation in murder” and “arson.”
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Maryam Hadavand, Ehsan Hosseinipour Hesarloo, Matin Mohammadi, and Erfan Amiri were tried and convicted in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. According to the indictment, the charges against them include “participation in the murder of two Basij members” named Ali-Akbar and Taha, “intentional arson of a religious site (a mosque),” “destruction of public property,” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”
Based on published information, these individuals were arrested in connection with the case of the fire at Seyyed al-Shohada Mosque in Pakdasht. According to informed sources, the handling of this case has been accompanied by ambiguities, including reports of physical and psychological pressure to extract confessions. It has also been reported that the evidence cited includes the defendants’ confessions and CCTV footage.
According to these sources, court hearings were held under conditions in which the defendants did not have access to independent counsel of their own choosing, and the proceedings lacked sufficient transparency. These issues have raised concerns regarding compliance with fair trial standards.
Regarding the status of the sentences, reports indicate that the death sentences of three of the defendants—Ehsan Hosseinipour Hesarloo, Matin Mohammadi, and Erfan Amiri—have been upheld by the Supreme Court and referred for enforcement.
Maryam Hadavand is currently being held in the women’s ward of Evin Prison. Reports indicate that she too has been sentenced to death through a similar process without access to independent legal representation.
Following a directive by the head of the judiciary calling for a “wartime footing” and expedited case handling, the issuance and implementation of death sentences in similar cases has intensified. This trend has drawn widespread criticism from human rights organisations both inside and outside the country and has been viewed as a sign of increasingly stringent punitive approaches.