Iran executes anti-regime protester hours after prison phone wedding

An Iranian anti-regime protester was hanged at dawn on October 5 in Isfahan Central Prison, just hours after marrying his imprisoned fiancée over a prison telephone line, The Times reported Thursday.

Alireza Sepahi, 25, was executed alongside his co-defendant Alireza Raisi after being sentenced to death during anti-government protests in Alikhani Square in Isfahan on January 8, according to Human Rights Iran.

Sepahi and his wife, student activist Mahshad Keshani, 22, knew and loved each other before they were arrested during anti-regime protests, according to the report.

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Alireza Sepahi, 25, was executed alongside his co-defendant Alireza Raisi after being sentenced to death during anti-government protests in Alikhani Square in Isfahan. (Human rights in Iran)

Keshani, who is serving a five-year prison sentence, insisted on an informal wedding on Sunday as fears grew that Sepahi’s execution was imminent after a final summons from the family.

The couple exchanged vows by telephone from Isfahan prison, joined by their fathers.

Human rights lawyer Amirsalar Davoudi hosted the ceremony by reading the wishes that fathers should bless.

Keshani’s family offered a copy of the Quran, a saffron candy and a red rose as a traditional dowry.

“It was Mahshad’s idea,” Davoudi told the Times. “Even today, I wonder how a young woman can show such courage.”

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Iranians take part in an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Davoudi remembers warning Keshani about the permanent nature of the decision.

“I told her, ‘My dear, do you understand that this can’t just be canceled?’” Davoudi said.

“She said, ‘Mr. Davoudi, I love Alireza.'”

When Davoudi presented the proposal to Sepahi, the young man burst into tears.

“Alireza was crying and something deeply painful and beautiful happened. Even the prison guards started crying,” Davoudi said.

The ceremony held no formal authority to stop the execution. Sepahi had already survived a planned hanging in July after suffering a heart attack on his way to the gallows. Authorities later rescheduled the execution after he regained consciousness.

On Monday morning, hours after the vows were made, Sepahi was hanged.

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Iranian security forces have switched from pellet guns to live ammunition during protests. (Getty)

He was among seven defendants executed in the Alikhani Square affair, in which 12 men were accused of the deaths of four members of the security forces.

After the hanging, authorities reportedly prevented Sepahi’s family from burying their son in his hometown.

Davoudi condemned the actions of the Iranian regime.

“I don’t know how to accept this,” Davoudi said.

“The regime is taking revenge on innocent young people for the humiliation it suffered internationally.”

Human rights groups report that Keshani remains in detention and faces additional security charges.

This came as Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), urged UN Secretary-General António Guterres to take immediate international action to end the executions and killings of protesters in Iran, citing thousands of executions and decades of impunity for human rights violations.

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In a letter to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10, Rajavi called for international accountability, independent investigations and diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran to stop the executions.