Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Oct 13: An Iranian anti-government protester was hanged just hours after marrying his imprisoned fiancée over a prison phone line in a heartbreaking ceremony arranged amid fears that the couple might never get another chance to be together, according to a report by the New York Post.
Alireza Sepahi, 25, and Mahshad Keshani, 22, were arrested during anti-government protests earlier this year. Sepahi was sentenced to death, while Keshani is serving a five-year prison term, The Times reported.
With fears mounting that Sepahi's execution was imminent, Keshani pushed for an informal wedding before it was too late. The couple exchanged vows over the phone on Sunday, with their fathers joining the ceremony from inside Isfahan prison.
Human rights lawyer Amirsalar Davoudi helped conduct the ceremony, reading the vows and enabling the couple's fathers to bless the union. Keshani's family could offer only a copy of the Quran, a saffron rock candy and a single red rose as a traditional dowry.
"It was Mahshad's idea," Davoudi told The Times. "Even now, I wonder how one young woman can possess such courage."
Davoudi said he had warned Keshani that the decision could not be undone, but she remained determined to marry Sepahi.
"She said, 'Mr Davoudi, I love Alireza,'" he recalled.
When Davoudi conveyed the proposal to Sepahi, the young man broke down in tears. The emotional moment also moved prison officers, he said.
"Alireza was crying, and something deeply painful and beautiful happened. Even the prison officers began to cry," Davoudi told The Times.
However, the wedding could not save Sepahi from execution. He was hanged on Monday morning, just hours after the ceremony, alongside fellow defendant Alireza Raisi, according to reports.
Sepahi had narrowly escaped execution in July after suffering a heart attack on his way to the gallows. He fell into a coma but later regained consciousness, following which the authorities rescheduled his execution.
A final visit by his family on Sunday reportedly signalled that his execution was approaching, prompting Keshani to arrange the wedding.
Sepahi was among 12 men accused of involvement in the deaths of four security personnel during protests at Isfahan's Alikhani Square on January 8. Human rights groups have alleged that the defendants in the case were forced to make confessions under torture.
The square has also witnessed public executions of protesters, drawing condemnation from human rights advocates.
Following Sepahi's hanging, his family was reportedly prevented from burying him in his hometown.
Davoudi condemned the authorities' actions, describing the executions as an act of revenge against young people following the regime's international humiliation.
"I do not know how to come to terms with this," he told The Times.