They didn’t just execute a man.
They executed a young disabled human being who deserved dignity, justice, and a future.
Amirhossein Safari lived with a paralyzed arm after a spinal cord injury. Reports say he was denied a fair trial, denied independent legal representation, and ultimately executed.
A disability should never make someone more vulnerable to injustice. A life should never end without justice.
Today, I choose not to stay silent.
I want the world to know his name.
I want to be his voice.
Because every person forgotten is another victory for injustice.
Remember Amirhossein Safari.
Speak his name. Share his story.
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 28 July 2026: State media have reported the public hangings of Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi, two young men arrested in connection with the protests in Isfahan’s Alikhani Square on 8 January.
A large group of people gathered at the scene in the early hours of the morning in an attempt to stop the executions, but they were met with violent force by the authorities.
Though protesters Saleh Mohammadi, Saeed Davodi and Mehdi Ghasemi were also reported to have been executed “in the presence of a group of people” during the 40-day war, today’s executions are the first recorded public hangings in 2026.
Condemning the executions in the strongest terms, IHRNGO calls on the international community, countries with diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic in particular, to raise the political cost of these executions.
IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stated: “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. Public executions are a cruel form of state terror that the international community must not tolerate. Today’s public executions must be met with clear and unequivocal condemnation.”
According to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency, Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani (left photo) and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi (right photo) were hanged at an undisclosed location on 28 July 2026. Mehr News Agency and Hamshahri reported that the executions were carried out “in the presence of the public.” Videos shared online show that the executions were carried out in Alikhani Square, the scene of their alleged offences.
During the nationwide protests of December 2025 to January 2026, Isfahan’s Alikhani Square was one of the scenes of protests. Islamic Republic authorities reported that four security forces were killed on 8 January. According to informed IHRNGO sources, 62 people were originally arrested in relation to the deaths of four security forces that night and subjected to one to three months of interrogations and torture.
An informed source previously told IHRNGO: “Many of the defendants in the case didn’t even have proper trials. Phone and online video trials were conducted from prison without any lawyers present, not even an appointed one. It was just them in a room with two guards and a judge on the other end of the line. Most of their sentences have been upheld by Branches 9 and 39 of the Supreme Court.”
On 19 July, state media announced the executions of Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, an Afghan national, in connection with the events of that night. According to the announcement, “16 people were indicted in the case.” In a report published on 21 July, IHRNGO identified 13 of the remaining defendants in the case that included Abolfazl Sepahi and Amirhossein Safari. It reported that more than 70 protesters are currently at risk of the death penalty in Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison.
Abolfazl Sepahi was 25 years old and from Isfahan. His cousin, Alireza Sepahi, is one of the other defendants in the case. Amirhossein Safari, who was 28 and also from Isfahan, had a physical disability, having lost the use of his left hand after an accident a few years ago.
Per Mizan’s report, the two protesters were sentenced to death on charges of “membership in baghi groups [those who commit armed armed rebellion] acting against national security, moharebeh (enmity against God) through drawing weapons and creating terror, panic and insecurity in society, efsad-fil-arz (corruption on Earth) through acts against the physical integrity of individuals and committing actions causing severe disruption to public order and national security, destruction and arson of public property to disrupt social order and security and other criminal acts leading to the martyrdom of four law enforcement officers.”
On 23 January, state media broadcast the forced confessions of the defendants, with their faces blurred and names changed to conceal their identities. The forced confessions were used as part of a propaganda video titled “Shock Documentary: The Events of Dey 1404 (December 2025–January 2026) in Isfahan.”
Originally published in Iran Human Rights 28 July 2026
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