The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Iranian authorities have executed a 20-year-old Afghan national convicted in connection with protests in the central city of Isfahan, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported Thursday.
Hengaw said Ghaem Hosseini, also known as Arian, was
executed at dawn Thursday at Isfahan Central Prison. He was one of the
defendants in the case related to events at Alikhani Square during protests on
Jan. 8, 2026.
Hosseini was the maternal cousin of Gol Mohammad Mohammadi,
another Afghan national who was among the defendants in the same case and was
executed in July, according to Hengaw.
Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency reported that
Hosseini had been sentenced to death on charges including “waging war against
God,” “corruption on earth,” acting against national security and destruction
of public property.
Iranian authorities accused Hosseini of taking part in the
Jan. 8 events at Alikhani Square, during which four members of Iran’s security
forces were killed, according to state media reports. He was also accused of
damaging the body of one of the officers and participating in the burning of a
charity center.
Hosseini was the latest defendant in the Alikhani Square
case to face execution. Four other defendants in the case had previously been
executed, according to Hengaw.
Iran Human Rights, a separate rights organization, had
previously reported that Hosseini and several other defendants in the case
faced an imminent risk of execution. It said Hosseini was among six remaining
defendants at risk of execution in late July.
The case has drawn international concern. Spain condemned
executions of two other defendants in the case in July and expressed concern
over other protesters facing the death penalty.
Hosseini’s reported execution could not be independently
verified from publicly available sources as of Thursday.
