Iran executed two young men on Sunday, ages 18 and 23, for helping protesters who fled from Iranian security forces during widespread demonstrations earlier this year. According to local reports cited by Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, Erfan Espandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi were hanged after providing shelter to protesters in their homes.
The two were part of a group of 59 men arrested together during protests in January at Shahid Alihani Square in Isfahan, during which Iranian authorities claimed four security personnel were killed. Of those arrested, 12—including Espandiari and Mohammadi—were sentenced to death. Ten of them were moved to solitary confinement last week, indicating they are expected to be executed soon.
President Trump shared Alinejad’s words on social media, in which she wrote: “Erfan Espandiari… didn’t kill anyone. He didn’t carry a weapon. His crime, according to the Islamic Republic, was opening a door. Giving shelter to protesters fleeing security forces. That was enough to send him to the gallows.” The shocking case once again highlights the brutality of the Iranian regime toward its citizens.