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11 Oct 2026, 12:43

Shahrzad Shahbazi, one of the lawyers for the defendants in the "Ali Khani Square of Isfahan" case and the lawyer for Alireza Sepahi, has rejected the narrative of state media, stating that the charge of killing law enforcement officers has not been communicated to any of the defendants in this case, and the court has not addressed this charge either. So far, five of the defendants in this case have been executed, and seven others are at risk of execution.

The lawyer's statements come in response to the publication of an interview in state media, in which a woman, introduced as the wife of one of the deceased officers, accuses the defendants of killing and burning the officers. The release of this interview follows increased criticism of the execution of sentences, particularly the execution of Alireza Sepahi.

Shahbazi has also questioned the presence of this woman at the execution site, asking on what basis she was allowed to be present when the case was not about retribution and personal rights. On Saturday, October 10, 2025, Shahbazi wrote in a message on Instagram: "The charge of murder has absolutely not been communicated to any of the defendants in the Ali Khani Square and Shahid Square cases." She emphasized that the issue of "burning the officers in the context of premeditated murder" has neither been addressed in court nor was it among the charges mentioned in the verdict. Shahbazi stated that the reason the Revolutionary Court did not address the murder issue was due to a lack of jurisdiction to handle this charge.

The Ali Khani Square case was formed after the killing of four special unit officers during the protests on January 7, 2025, in Isfahan. State media had previously released videos of the defendants' confessions during interrogations, scene reenactments, and trial sessions in the first branch of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan; confessions that human rights organizations consider to be coerced and invalid. Alireza Sepahi was executed early on Tuesday, October 3. Maya Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, expressed serious concerns about the torture of the defendants and the lack of fair trial in this case in response to the execution. According to Sato, the sentence was carried out while Sepahi's lawyer was still trying to have the case reviewed. Sepahi had previously been on the verge of execution in public but was transferred to the hospital due to a heart attack. That night, citizens stayed in Ali Khani Square until dawn to prevent the execution of sentences.
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