Iranian protester kisses his own noose moments before public execution in Isfahan

On July 28, Iranian authorities carried out a public hanging in a square in Isfahan, executing 23-year-old protester Abolfazl Sepahi-Badejani for his role in the January anti-government demonstrations. A phone recording that spread online depicts him shedding his black hood, raising the rope from his neck, and kissing it before the execution continued, after which he formed a heart sign for the onlookers. He was executed together with 27-year-old co-defendant Amirhossein Safari-Hosseinabadi in front of a crowd that had gathered hours earlier.

Military police opened fire on protesters nearby, killing a woman, and the crowd responded with chants denouncing the regime. Iranian lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei described the public execution as a calculated terror tactic aimed at the entire society rather than just the condemned. The incident has sparked further protests in Isfahan and Tehran, with citizens questioning the response of international human-rights bodies.