Ten January protest detainees sentenced to death, 16 defendants receive combined 256 years in prison in Isfahan

Hengaw – Monday, August 31, 2026

Branch 1 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court has handed down heavy sentences against 16 people arrested during the January 2026 protests in a case known as the “Isfahan Shohada Square case.” Under the initial verdicts, 10 defendants were each sentenced to death and a combined 110 years in prison, while six others received a combined 146 years in prison.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, 10 defendants, including one woman — Taraneh Rahimi, Navid Elyasi, Abolfazl Dadgostar, Mehdi Mansouri, Ahmadreza Saeidi, Mehrdad Boueri, Mohammad Mehdi Asadi, Armin Gholami, Parsa Jafari and Mehdi Jafari (Khosravi) — were each sentenced to death and 11 years in prison.

Six other defendants received prison sentences. Romina Rahimi, Taraneh Rahimi’s sister, and Milad Boueri were each sentenced to 36 years in prison; Hamed Mehralian received 26 years; and Setayesh Saeidi, Sajjad Abedi and Ali Boueri were each sentenced to 16 years.

The defendants were tried on charges including “moharebeh (waging war against God) through carrying bladed weapons,” “destruction of public property,” “assembly and collusion,” and “propaganda against the state.”

Although an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member and a homeless man died during the events at Shohada Square in Isfahan, the indictment did not include any direct murder charges against the defendants, and no documented evidence was presented linking them to either death. Video evidence included in the case file shows Taraneh Rahimi attempting to prevent the homeless man from being beaten.

The trial was held at Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan before Judges Morteza Barati and Mohammadreza Tavakoli of Branch 1 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court. Lawyers representing the defendants were denied access to the full case files and sufficient time to review the evidence.

During the trial, Ahmadreza Saeidi stated that the case investigator had personally tortured him by applying electric shocks to his neck and genitals.

Taraneh Rahimi, Romina Rahimi and Setayesh Saeidi are currently held at Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan, while the other 13 defendants are held at Isfahan Central Prison (Dastgerd Prison).