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Tehran, November 3 (Agencies): Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence against a fruit seller convicted in connection with anti-government protests that swept across the country earlier this year, according to a US-based human rights organisation.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the media arm of Human Rights Activists in Iran, reported on Monday that the Supreme Court had confirmed the death sentence imposed on Arman Marefati. The organisation also reported that two female protesters arrested during the demonstrations have collectively been sentenced to 44 years in prison.
Marefati was convicted in March 2026 by an Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. The charges against him included alleged involvement in activities against national security, entering religious sites with the intention of destroying them, and participating in the burning of a mosque and a religious seminary.
According to HRANA, Marefati was transferred in June from Greater Tehran Prison to Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, where political prisoners and individuals facing execution are reportedly held.
Two other defendants in the same case, Mehrdad Mohammadiania and Ashkan Maleki, were executed in June after being convicted of alleged cooperation with Israel and hostile governments, creating insecurity and public fear, destroying and setting fire to public property, and engaging in activities against national security.
Amnesty International said the executions were carried out without prior notification to the families or legal representatives of the prisoners.
Marefati, believed to be around 38 years old, originally belongs to Saqqez County in western Iran and was living in Tehran when he was arrested during nationwide protests in January 2026. HRANA reported that he worked at a fruit and vegetable market.
International Concerns Over Executions
US President Donald Trump, in early September, accused Iranian authorities of committing crimes against humanity through the repression, killing and execution of protesters. He called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
The US State Department, in its 2026 Human Rights Report, also criticised the imposition of death sentences on protesters and government opponents under national security-related charges, including offences known in Iran as Moharebeh (enmity against God) and alleged cooperation with foreign countries.
Thousands of Iranians participated in demonstrations that began late last year and continued into 2026, initially triggered by severe economic difficulties, particularly the sharp depreciation of the national currency. However, the protests soon expanded, with demonstrators also demanding an end to the Islamic Republic’s political system.
Addressing world leaders in September, President Trump claimed that Iran had killed 72,000 of its citizens during the year.
Iranian authorities, however, have put the number of protest-related deaths at 3,038. A recent United Nations fact-finding mission concluded that the actual death toll was significantly higher than the figure acknowledged by the Iranian government.
Rights Groups Raise Concerns Over Fair Trials
International human rights organisations have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of using torture, prolonged solitary confinement and other forms of coercion to obtain confessions from detainees. According to these organisations, such confessions are subsequently presented as evidence in criminal proceedings, including cases carrying the death penalty.
Rights groups have also expressed concern over what they describe as unfair trials involving forced confessions, vague or politically motivated national security charges, and allegations that are either fabricated or unsupported by credible evidence.
Amnesty International and other organisations have documented cases in which defendants were allegedly denied meaningful access to legal representation and basic due process protections.
These concerns have intensified international scrutiny of Iran’s judicial system, particularly the use of capital punishment against individuals arrested during protests and those accused of opposing the government.
