UN Mission Urges Iran to Halt Executions of Protesters

Iranian authorities executed Erfan Esfandiari, who was reportedly 18, and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, a 23-year-old Afghan national, according to an announcement by the Iranian Judiciary.

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran has called for the immediate suspension of executions facing 10 young men convicted over their alleged involvement in a protest in Isfahan earlier this year. The appeal follows the execution of two other men connected to the same case on 19 July, raising fears that further death sentences could be carried out within days.

Two men executed after Isfahan protest

Iranian authorities executed Erfan Esfandiari, who was reportedly 18, and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, a 23-year-old Afghan national, according to an announcement by the Iranian Judiciary. All 12 men were arrested after protests in Alikhani Square, Isfahan, on 8 January. State media said four security-force members were killed during the unrest. The Fact-Finding Mission said credible information indicates that families of at least two of the remaining 10 men have been called in for final visits, a development often associated with an imminent execution.

Rising use of death sentences

The Mission warned that the cases form part of a wider pattern of capital punishment linked to nationwide protests that began on 28 December 2025. Three young men were executed in Qom in March after convictions related to the deaths of security-force members. Four more young men were executed in late April in connection with an alleged attack on a Basij base in Tehran.

Credible reports indicate that more than 60 people, including at least three women and two boys, have received death sentences since December. Iranian judicial authorities say 23 men have been executed in protest-related cases since March.

Concern over fast-tracked cases

The UN body expressed serious concern that capital cases involving protests and national-security allegations are being expedited through the courts. Its concerns increased after Tehran Prosecutor General Ali Salehi said on 15 July that cases linked to recent hostilities and protests had been completed and referred to courts, following a directive from Judiciary Head Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i to accelerate proceedings. The Mission said this could lead to more death sentences and executions, particularly where defendants face limited time and safeguards to challenge serious criminal charges.

Call for a nationwide moratorium

The Fact-Finding Mission urged Iran to stop all executions, including those imposed on people convicted in connection with protests. It renewed its call for a national moratorium on the death penalty as a step towards ending its use for all crimes.