Iranian protester hanged hours after marrying his imprisoned fiancée over jail phone line

Alireza Sepahi, a 25-year-old Iranian anti-regime protester, was hanged at dawn on October 5 inside Isfahan Central Prison, just hours after marrying his imprisoned fiancée, Mahshad Keshani, over a jail phone line.

Sepahi was executed alongside co-defendant Alireza Raisi, after being sentenced to death in connection with the anti-government demonstrations at Isfahan's Alikhani Square on January 8. According to Human Rights Iran, Sepahi and Keshani, a 22-year-old student activist, had known and loved each other before being arrested during the demonstrations.

Keshani, who is serving a five-year sentence, had pushed for an informal wedding with Sepahi on Sunday, as fears mounted that his execution was imminent after a final family summons. The couple exchanged vows over the phone from inside the prison, with their fathers participating in the ceremony, facilitated by human rights lawyer Amirsalar Davoudi.

The ceremony, which had no formal authority to halt the execution, was a poignant moment in the face of impending tragedy. Davoudi recalled that Sepahi had broken down in tears when he proposed the idea, and that the prison officers had begun to cry as well.

Sepahi's execution is part of a larger trend of human rights abuses in Iran, with thousands of executions and decades of impunity for human rights abuses. His family was reportedly prevented by authorities from burying him in his hometown after the hanging. Davoudi condemned the Iranian regime's actions, saying that they are taking revenge on innocent young people for the humiliation it has suffered internationally.

Keshani remains in custody, facing additional security charges, and human rights groups are calling for international action to halt executions and the killing of protesters in Iran. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, has urged the U.N. Secretary-General to take immediate action to address these human rights abuses.