Shahrzad Shahbazi, defense attorney for Alireza Sepahi, one of the defendants in the case known as the “Alikhani Square of Isfahan” case, announced that the parallel branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, despite the granting of a retrial request by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, rejected her client’s retrial motion without holding a hearing and forwarded the case file to the Sentence Enforcement Branch for execution.

Shahbazi wrote on Instagram on Wednesday, September 2, that following the approval of the retrial by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, it was expected that the case would be re-examined in adherence to legal standards and the defense rights of the accused.

She stated that she will submit another request for a retrial on Saturday and will pursue all legal avenues to prevent the execution of the sentence and secure a judicial review of the case.

Alireza Sepahi was previously scheduled for execution at dawn on Tuesday, July 28 [6 Mordad], along with Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi, but suffered a stroke before being transferred to the execution venue and was rushed to a medical center following a rapid deterioration in his physical condition. He was returned to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan two days later after receiving medical care.

Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani, Alireza Sepahi’s cousin, and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi were executed that same morning.

According to information obtained, officers shot Alireza Sepahi four times in the leg during his arrest, despite him offering no resistance. Reports of severe torture inflicted on him and other co-defendants during interrogations have also been published.

The “Alikhani Square” case relates to a group of protesters arrested during the nationwide January protests in Isfahan. In the court of first instance, 15 defendants in this case were sentenced to death; according to information disclosed by defense counsel, one defendant’s death sentence was overturned by the higher judicial authority, while the death sentences of the remaining 14 were upheld.

In July, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of 12 defendants in this case and referred their files for execution. To date, five of the condemned individuals have been executed, while seven others remain at imminent risk of execution.

Alireza Sepahi, born in 2001, was arrested on January 10 in connection with the nationwide protests and subsequently transferred to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan.

According to HRANA, the judicial proceedings for Alireza and Abolfazl Sepahi were marked by severe violations, including the lack of effective access by defense counsel to case files, the inability to obtain copies of the court verdict, proceedings being held via videoconference, and the court’s disregard for defense evidence.

According to a source close to the family, CCTV footage and other documentation exist proving that Alireza Sepahi was not present at Alikhani Square at the time of the alleged incident cited in the case and was at a different location. Nevertheless, Morteza Barati, the presiding judge in the case, issued four death sentences against him without conducting an effective examination of this evidence.

Several other defendants in the case also reported being subjected to pressure and torture during interrogations to force testimonies placing Alireza Sepahi at the scene of the incident. Despite these complaints, no independent or effective investigation into forced confessions has been conducted to date.

Erfan Esfandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, two other defendants in this case, were executed on July 19. The death sentences of Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi were carried out at dawn on July 28 [6 Mordad] in public at Alikhani Square in Isfahan.

With Alireza Sepahi’s file returned to the Sentence Enforcement Branch while a new retrial motion has yet to be submitted, concerns regarding his imminent execution have intensified. Furthermore, based on information received, the risk of execution for several other condemned defendants in this case remains severe in the coming hours or days.

The identities of 12 of the condemned defendants in this case have been confirmed as Alireza Sepahi, Abolfazl Sepahi, Erfan Esfandiari, Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, Amirhossein Safari, Ghaem Hosseini, Shervin Bagherian, Amirhossein Maleki, Ali Dashti, Abolfazl Ebrahimi, Alireza Raeisi, and Amirhossein Ebrahimi Analoocheh.