Echoes of Iran

27/08/2026

The death sentence imposed on Arghavan Fallahi a 25-year-old political prisoner has been upheld by Iran's Supreme Court. She is now at imminent risk of ex*****on.
Arghavan was sentenced to death on July 1, 2026, by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati. The sentence was communicated to her through her lawyer.
She was arrested on January 25, 2025, in the city of Parand and transferred to Ward 241 of Evin Prison. For five months, she was held in solitary confinement. Interrogated. Tortured. Physically and psychologically.
But the world has not been silent. More than 4,000 political, legal, and civil society figures from 62 countries across five continents have signed a joint statement calling for an end to her death sentence. Among them: 172 prominent political figures, including MEPs, national parliamentarians, former government ministers, and local elected representatives.
Her name was communicated to her through her lawyer. No public trial. No independent counsel. No access to case files. This is what the death penalty looks like in Iran.
Arghavan Fallahi. 25 years old. The world has spoken. Iran must listen. Be her voice. Stop ex*****ons in Iran.

24/08/2026

Ghaem Hosseini one of 12 protesters sentenced to death in connection with the Alikhani Square case in Isfahan was executed at Dastgerd Prison on Thursday morning, August 20, 2026. His ex*****on came despite international appeals calling on Iran to halt ex*****ons, particularly those involving protesters.
He was the fifth. Before him: Erfan Esfandiyari. Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi. Amirhossein Safari. Abolfazl Sepahi.

All recently executed. All from the same case. All protesters.

Hosseini had been arrested in connection with the nationwide protests of January 2026. His family had been summoned for a final visit — the sign no family should ever have to read.

During his trial, he was denied the right to choose an independent lawyer. He was represented by court-appointed lawyers selected by the judiciary. Even those lawyers reportedly did not have full access to the case files. The trial was held behind closed doors.

His case involved violations of Iranian constitutional protections and international standards concerning the right to life, prohibition of torture, presumption of innocence, access to legal counsel, and the right to a fair trial.

Five protesters executed. Twelve sentenced to death. Seven still waiting.
Remember the five. Protect the seven. Stop ex*****ons in Iran.

21/08/2026

Mani Safarpour was only 18 years old. He was a young man who loved football, laughed often, dreamed about his future, and, like thousands of other young people, loved life and fought for his dreams.
In a video he left behind, he said: “I made a promise to my dreams that I would reach them. No matter if there’s wind, a storm, or a blizzard Mani will achieve his dreams.”
In his handwritten notes, he listed his goals for 2024: A Peugeot 206. An iPhone 15 Pro Max. An Apple Watch Ultra 2. 10 grams of gold.
On the night of January 7, 2026, when Mani saw several young women in danger, he separated from his father to go and help them. He was shot and killed.
What remained for his family was an embrace opened not in welcome, but in farewell. In a heartbreaking video, Mani’s father holds the body bag containing his son’s lifeless body and repeatedly cries: “Mani... son... you go ahead. I’ll come after you.”
Some names are more than just names. They are the story of a life left unfinished, of dreams that never had the chance to come true, and of a grief that reached far beyond a single family.
May the memory of Mani Safarpour live on.

18/08/2026

On Sunday morning, August 16, 2026, news emerged that Shahram Sadeghi had been executed by the Iranian regime. He had been arrested in connection with the January 2026 protests. His ex*****on came suddenly with little opportunity for the outside world to react or call for urgent action before his life was taken.

His case once again raises serious concerns about the treatment of prisoners facing the death penalty in Iran. Like many others, Shahram was deprived of due process and the basic protections required for a fair trial. Prisoners are subjected to torture, pressure, and forced confessions then executed before the world can respond.
Shahram's ex*****on follows the ex*****on of 19-year-old Arvin Khairkhahan on August 1, 2026 only two weeks earlier. Arvin was also executed for taking part in the same January uprising. Very little information had been published about his arrest or the fact that he was at imminent risk. Then, suddenly, the news came that he had already been killed.

Two young men. Two ex*****ons. Two names the world learned too late.
Every case demands attention while there is still time to act. The time to act is now. Stop ex*****ons in Iran.

Share their names. Demand an end to the death penalty.

17/08/2026

On August 8, 2026, the Iranian regime executed Marzieh Nayyeri, a 24-year-old woman, at Qazvin Central Prison — also known as Choobindar Prison.

Marzieh's story is devastating because she had already been subjected to serious injustice long before she faced the regime's courts. At 17, she was forced into marriage. A child. Married against her will.

Years later, she found herself in the Iranian judicial system and ultimately sentenced to death. At dawn on August 8, authorities carried out that sentence.

Her ex*****on represents more than the loss of one young life. It is another devastating example of how women and girls in Iran can first become victims of discriminatory and abusive practices, including child marriage — and later encounter a judicial system that fails to recognize or protect those who have lived through vulnerability, coercion, and abuse.

Marzieh was failed twice. By marriage. And by the law.

Marzieh Nayyeri. 2002–2026. Remember her. Demand justice for Iran's women.

15/08/2026

Ahad Shokouhian is 38 years old. He was a worker at flower market in Pakdasht. The sole breadwinner of his family.
He has been sentenced to death three times by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. Branch 9 of Iran's Supreme Court has upheld his death sentence. His ex*****on is now imminent.
Ahad was arrested on January 15, 2026, during the nationwide protests that began in Tehran on December 28, 2025. The protests started with shopkeepers and bazaar merchants. Within days, students, citizens, and people from every part of Iranian society had joined. The regime responded with a widespread crackdown. Thousands were killed or injured. Tens of thousands were arrested.

Ahad is one of them. A flower-market worker. A provider. A man who went out to demand a better life and was handed three death sentences in return.

Three death sentences. One man. One family. Urgent international action is needed to stop his ex*****on and protect all protesters facing death in Iran.

Share his name. Demand his life be spared. Demand an end to ex*****ons in Iran.

11/08/2026

08/08/2026

Roqieh Akbari Monfared was born in Tehran in 1958. She was a young mother with a small daughter. She was sentenced to ten years in prison. In 1988, she was executed. She was 30 years old.
Four members of the Akbari Monfared family were executed by the Iranian regime: three brothers and one sister. Roqieh, 30, and her brother Abdolreza, 23, were both taken in 1988. Their siblings were executed in 1981 and 1985.
Maryam Akbari Monfared — Roqieh's sister — is a mother of three daughters. On December 30, 2009, she was arrested and taken to Evin Prison on a cold winter night. She was not allowed to say goodbye to her children. She spent over 16 years in prison without a single day of furlough.
Her imprisonment was widely regarded as being connected to her pursuit of justice and truth regarding her four executed siblings. She refused to let their names disappear.
On April 8, 2026, after years of tireless efforts by human rights organizations, supporters, and activists around the world, Maryam was finally released. SMV was proud to take part in the international campaign advocating for her freedom.
Maryam's freedom is a victory. But it is not justice for all. 30,000 political prisoners were executed in the 1988 massacre. Their families still wait. Their graves are still hidden. The perpetrators still hold power.
Remember Roqieh. Celebrate Maryam. Demand accountability for the 30,000.

07/08/2026

Alireza Sepahi is a young protester arrested during Iran's nationwide January 2026 uprising. He was sentenced to death in the Alikhani Square case in Isfahan one of 12 protesters condemned to die.
His ex*****on was reportedly scheduled for the early hours of July 28, 2026, alongside his cousin Abolfazl Sepahi and Amirhossein Safari. Before being transferred, Alireza suffered a heart attack. He was taken to a medical centre because of the severity of his condition. His life was saved — temporarily.
That same day, his cousin Abolfazl and Amirhossein Safari were publicly hanged at Alikhani Square. Their ex*****ons sparked anti-government protests across Isfahan.
After receiving treatment, Alireza was returned to Dastgerd Prison. There is no new information about his medical condition. His return to prison while his health remains a serious concern has intensified his family's fears for his wellbeing and fate.
Four protesters from this case have been executed in the last few weeks. Eight remain at imminent risk. Alireza is one of them.
He survived a heart attack. He may not survive the regime. Stop ex*****ons in Iran. Save Alireza Sepahi.

06/08/2026

Ashraf Sadat Ahmadi was born in Tehran in 1941. A mother of four, she dedicated her life to standing against oppression.
Arrested by the Shah's secret police in 1975, she endured torture despite being pregnant and suffering from heart disease. Her daughter Maryam was born inside prison.
Released shortly before the 1979 revolution, Ashraf was arrested again in 1981. She was never granted a fair trial. She never received a conviction.
On July 31, 1988, only months before completing her sentence, Ashraf Sadat Ahmadi was hanged. She was 47 years old and one of approximately 30,000 political prisoners executed during the 1988 Massacre in Iran.
Three months later, security forces returned her belongings to her mother's home. That was how her family learned she had been killed. Her burial place has never been disclosed.
Ashraf Sadat Ahmadi.
Mother. Political Prisoner. Victim of the 1988 Massacre.
Remember her.