Shahrzad Shahbazi, defense counsel for Alireza Sepahi, announced on Thursday, September 3, 2026, that the retrial request for the death-sentenced protester in the “Alikhani Square, Isfahan” case has been rejected, with his case file forwarded to the Execution of Sentences Department without a formal court hearing.
Unconfirmed reports also suggest that Alireza Sepahi has been transferred to solitary confinement in Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison in preparation for his execution. IranWire cannot independently confirm this transfer.
Sepahi’s attorney stated that despite Branch 39 of the Supreme Court granting permission for a judicial review, the parallel branch of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court rejected her client’s retrial request without holding a hearing and dispatched the file to the enforcement branch for execution.
Shahbazi stated that she intends to submit a new petition for judicial review and will pursue “all legal avenues to halt the execution and secure a retrial.”
Alireza Sepahi, a co-defendant in the “Alikhani Square” case, was scheduled to be executed at dawn on Tuesday, July 28, alongside his cousin, Abalfazl Sepahi Badjani, and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi. However, before his transfer to the execution site, he suffered a heart attack and was urgently hospitalized in critical condition. He was returned to Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison two days later following medical treatment.
The “Alikhani Square” case stems from clashes on January 8 at Alikhani Square in the Malekshahr district of Isfahan during nationwide protests. Islamic Republic authorities charge Alireza Sepahi and other detainees in the case with the killing of four Special Units and Basij officers during the demonstrations. Security forces arrested 59 individuals in connection with the incident, resulting in 12 death sentences and 23 prison terms ranging from 5 to 10 years.