Iran moves Aqil Keshavarz, student arrested during Iran–Israel war, to solitary confinement ahead of execution

Hengaw – Thursday, December 18, 2025

Iran has transferred Aqil Keshavarz, a 27-year-old architecture student from Isfahan, to solitary confinement in preparation for the implementation of his death sentence. To date, neither his arrest nor his death sentence has been officially or publicly reported by state media.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Keshavarz, who was arrested during the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel earlier this year, was moved to solitary confinement in Urmia Central Prison on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. The possibility of the sentence being carried out in the coming hours is considered highly probable.
Keshavarz’s family has been summoned to Urmia Prison for a final visit, a step that typically signals the imminent carrying out of a death sentence in Iran.

Keshavarz was sentenced to death in late summer 2025 by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Urmia, presided over by Judge Sajjad Dousti, on charges of “espionage for Israel.” His arrest and sentencing have not been publicly acknowledged by Iranian state media.

His transfer to solitary confinement comes amid public statements by officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel acknowledging the possibility of a new round of conflict. In this context, there are serious concerns that the execution of this student could be used as a means of intimidation and deterrence during a period of heightened regional tensions.

Keshavarz was arrested in late June 2025 and initially held at a detention facility operated by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Urmia. During that period, he was subjected to intense interrogation and pressure aimed at extracting confessions.

He was later transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran before being moved to Urmia Central Prison.