Arvin Kheirkhahan secretly executed following January protest arrest

Hengaw – Saturday, August 1, 2026

Iranian authorities have secretly executed Arvin Kheirkhahan, a 20-year-old man arrested during the January 2026 protests, at Shahrud Central Prison in Semnan province without notifying his family in advance.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out at dawn on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Prison authorities have refused to immediately release his body to the family.

Following his arrest during the January protests, Kheirkhahan was sentenced to death by Branch One of the Shahrud Revolutionary Court on the charge of moharebeh (waging war against God). The sentence was upheld on appeal and later by Iran's Supreme Court.

Judicial and prison authorities have withheld Kheirkhahan's body, instructing his family to return at dawn on Sunday to collect it. They also ordered that the burial take place at exactly 5:00 a.m. under heavy security measures.

Because of the secrecy surrounding the execution and the lack of judicial transparency, Hengaw has not yet been able to verify the exact date of Kheirkhahan's arrest, the specific acts underlying the moharebeh charge, details of his interrogations, or the extent of his access to a lawyer of his choosing.

The execution has not been announced by Iranian state media or judiciary-affiliated outlets.