Iran Upholds Death Sentence of Political Prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani
- Human Rights Research Center
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Author: Aamnah Fatima Khan
October 7, 2025
HRRC strongly condemns the Iranian regime’s upholding of Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani’s death sentence and the ongoing wave of political executions. These acts represent a blatant violation of human rights and international legal norms and demand urgent global intervention.
![Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani [Image source: AL-Monitor]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e28a6b_cadaff3dbac94c03bd2fcb407a08df91~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_87,h_49,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_avif,quality_auto/e28a6b_cadaff3dbac94c03bd2fcb407a08df91~mv2.png)
Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of 30-year-old boxing coach and political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani, who was arrested during the March 2020 protests over fuel price hikes. His lawyer confirmed the ruling by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court, despite what he described as “numerous legal flaws” in the case. Vafaei was accused of “spreading corruption on earth through arson and destruction of public property.”
Initially sentenced to death by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court in January 2022, his verdict has been reinstated multiple times despite earlier reversals. Reports indicate he has been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture while in detention. Judges Saadi Makan and Yazdan-Khah issued their third death sentence in September 2024.
The court’s decision coincided with the execution of seven other political prisoners on October 4, 2025, six ethnic Arabs in Ahvaz and one Kurdish prisoner, Saman Mohammadi Khiyareh, in Sanandaj. Human rights groups identified the executed Arabs as Ali Majdam, Moein Khanfari, Salem Mousavi, Mohammadreza Moghaddam, Adnan Alboshokeh (Ghobeishavi) and Habib Dris. The Judiciary claimed they were convicted of “armed attacks, separatism and espionage,” though rights organizations denounced these as “secret executions.”
Rights monitors report a surge in executions across Iran, with at least 187 people executed in September 2025, marking the highest monthly figure in two decades. Over 1,040 executions have been recorded in the first nine months of 2025, double the total during the same period last year.
Human rights organizations urged the United Nations and international bodies to intervene immediately to halt Vafaei-Sani’s execution and hold Iranian officials accountable for widespread human rights violations.
Glossary
Accountable – Responsible for one’s actions; answerable.
Arson – The crime of setting fire to a building or property on purpose.
Blatant – Very obvious and done without trying to hide it.
Coincided – Happened at the same time as something else.
Condemn – To strongly say that something is wrong or bad.
Convicted – Found guilty of a crime by a court.
Detention – Being kept in custody or prison.
Dissent – Disagreement or refusal to accept official ideas.
Ethnic – Related to a group of people who share the same culture, race, or language.
Espionage – Spying to get secret information, especially about a country.
Executions – The act of killing someone as a punishment by the state.
Instill – To slowly make someone accept an idea or feeling.
Intervene – To step in or take action to stop or change a situation.
Judiciary – The system of courts and judges in a country.
Political prisoners – People jailed because of their political beliefs or activities.
Price hikes – Sudden increases in prices.
Regime – A government, especially one that is strict or unfair.
Reinstated – Put back into a previous position or condition after being removed.
Separatism – The desire of a group to break away and form its own independent country.
Sources