Iran’s judiciary said several defendants in the high-profile Ekbatan case have been sentenced to death over charges linked to the killing of a Basij member during the country’s 2022 protests, despite courts acknowledging they could not determine who caused the fatal injury.
In a detailed statement published Sunday, the judiciary said some defendants were convicted of “corruption on earth,” a capital offense often used in politically sensitive security cases, while others received prison terms and additional punishments.
The statement did not specify how many people received death sentences or identify them, but IRGC-linked Tasnim News cited Tehran's Revolutionary Court as saying four of the nine defendants had been sentenced to death.
The case stems from the death of Arman Aliverdi, a 21-year-old Basij member and seminary student who was fatally injured during clashes in Tehran’s Ekbatan neighborhood in October 2022, at the height of the nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody.
The Ekbatan proceedings became one of the most closely watched legal cases arising from the 2022 protests, which evolved into the Islamic Republic’s biggest challenge in years and spread across dozens of cities under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
The judiciary said forensic examinations, medical reviews, video evidence and investigative findings established that Aliverdi died from severe head trauma caused by a hard object, but investigators were unable to determine which individual inflicted the fatal injury because of what officials described as chaotic conditions and the large number of people present at the scene.
A criminal court consequently refrained from issuing qisas, or retributive execution sentences, ruling that while some defendants had participated in assaulting Aliverdi, responsibility for the fatal strike could not be conclusively assigned.
Three defendants were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay financial compensation, while three others were acquitted of direct involvement in the killing.
Separate proceedings in a Revolutionary Court addressed broader security-related accusations including acting against national security, propaganda against the state and “corruption on earth.”
It was in that branch of the case that death sentences were issued, according to the judiciary.
Rights groups and lawyers have repeatedly raised concerns about due process in protest-related prosecutions, including allegations of coerced confessions and heavy reliance on national security charges.
Iran has sharply increased executions over the past year, according to rights organizations, with activists warning that authorities are increasingly using capital punishment not only in criminal cases but also as a tool of deterrence.
The judiciary said all verdicts in the Ekbatan case remain subject to review by Iran’s Supreme Court.
