An Iranian couple imprisoned for protesting the regime married in a prison ceremony over the phone – then were cruelly separated forever when the groom was hanged by the regime hours later, before they could even see each other as husband and wife.
Alireza Sepahi, 25, and Mahshad Keshani, 22, were among thousands arrested during anti-regime protests earlier this year, with Keshani pushing for an informal marriage before Sepahi was killed by the Islamist government.
Sepahi, who avoided execution this summer after suffering a heart attack on his way to the gallows, agreed. The two lovers were joined by their fathers on the phone inside Isfahan prison, the Sunday Times reported.
Amirsalar Davoudi, a human rights lawyer in Tehran, helped celebrate the wedding on Monday as he read the couple’s wishes for their fathers to bless them, with Keshani’s family only able to offer a copy of the Quran, a saffron candy and a single red rose as a dowry.
“It was Mahshad’s idea,” Davoudi told the Times. “Even today, I wonder how a young woman can show such courage.
“I don’t know how to accept this,” he added.
“The regime is taking revenge on innocent young people for the humiliation it suffered internationally. »
Hours after the wedding, Sepahi was hanged in Isfahan’s Shahid Alikhani Square, the site of one of the largest protests against the Islamic republic in January.
It is a common execution site for the regime’s public hangings – an effort to send a message to the people.
Sepahi’s cousin, Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani, was among the men hanged in the square, sparking backlash and protests against the regime.
Twelve men were involved in the Alikhani Square case, accused of killing four security guards during the protest, with human rights groups saying the accused were forced to make false confessions under torture.
The hanging of Sepahi, along with fellow inmate Alireza Raisi, means that only five of the 12 accused are still alive.
The groom was last at the scene in July for his execution, but suffered a heart attack and fell into a coma before the state could hang him.
Sepahi finally regained consciousness and was allowed a final family visit on Sunday, a sign that his death was imminent.
That’s what led Keshani to insist that Davoudi help them get married before it was too late, according to the Times.
“I told her, ‘My dear, do you understand that this can’t just be canceled?’” Davoudi told her. “She said: ‘Mr. Davoudi, I love Alireza.'”
When Davoudi relayed the plan to Sepahi, the young man couldn’t believe his ears and ended up collapsing in prison.
“Alireza was crying and something deeply painful and beautiful happened. Even the prison guards started crying,” Davoudi recalls.
Sepahi’s family received a final insult after being prevented from burying their son in his hometown, Iran International reported.
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