Four protest detainees sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on earth”

Hengaw – Saturday, May 2, 2026

The Revolutionary Court in Shiraz has sentenced four detainees from the January 2026 protests in Marvdasht, Fars province, to death on charges of “corruption on earth.” The men are Hamidreza Fathi, Abdolreza Fathi, Saeed Zarei Kordshouli, 31, and Hamidreza Sabetray. The rulings were issued by Branch 1 of the court, presided over by Judge Seyed Mahmoud Sadati.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the verdicts were issued recently following proceedings that lacked basic fair trial guarantees. The charges relate to allegations that the four men were involved in the killing of a Basij member and the destruction of public property during the Marvdasht protests.

Sources familiar with the case state that the detainees were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture during interrogation to extract forced confessions. Fathi sustained a broken arm under torture. Zarei Kordshouli suffered serious eye injuries and was forced to confess under electric shocks applied to his head. State television had previously aired portions of Zarei Kordshouli’s coerced confession.

In a separate development, political prisoner Abuzar Barahouei, in an audio message from inside prison, confirmed the use of brutal torture against the defendants in solitary confinement. He said interrogators used electric shock devices to force them to accept responsibility for multiple incidents, including the burning of banks.

Judge Sadati, who issued the sentences, previously handed down the death sentence against Navid Afkari, a protester executed after the November 2019 protests, and is currently under international sanctions.

The four men are being held in Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz. The rulings are preliminary and may be appealed before the Supreme Court.