The US State Department called on Iran to release people detained after a memorial ceremony for Iranian human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, warning of risks of abuse and unfair treatment.
“After the arrest of 39 people at the memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, and even more afterward, including members of his family, authorities have refused to provide a full list of detainees, the charges against them, or where they are being held,” the department said in a post on its Persian-language X account.
“Without transparency and due process, the risk of torture and fabricated charges increases,” it said.
The State Department said detainees had been denied access to legal counsel, necessary medication and contact with their families, and were subjected to violence and threats.
“We call for their unconditional release, immediate medical care for those in need, an end to violent attacks on peaceful gatherings, and respect for the right of society to peaceful assembly and free expression,” it said.
US calls lawyer's death suspicious
The department earlier denounced what it called the suspicious death of Alikordi, a 46-year-old lawyer who represented jailed protesters and families of people killed during demonstrations.
“He devoted his life to defending Iranians who were fighting for freedom, even though he knew it meant putting his own life at risk,” the State Department said, calling his death “a stark reminder of the dangers faced by those who fight for their rights in Iran.”
Alikordi was found dead earlier this month in his office in Mashhad, according to Iranian media. A lawyers’ news outlet said he died of cardiac arrest, while other lawyers and activists questioned that account and called for an independent investigation.
Aghil Keshavarz, a student at Shahroud University and a native of Isfahan, the judiciary said, was executed after his death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. The announcement was made by Mizan News Agency, the judiciary’s official outlet, which said the sentence was implemented “after legal procedures were completed.”
Keshavarz’s family had held their final visit with him on Friday at Urmia Central Prison. In the hours leading up to the execution, student groups and human rights organizations had warned that authorities appeared poised to carry out the sentence, citing his transfer to solitary confinement.
Conflicting accounts of arrest and detention
Rights groups reported that Keshavarz was arrested earlier this year during heightened security measures linked to the 12-day war between Iran and Israel. He was transferred to solitary confinement on December 17 in preparation for execution.
The family was summoned from Isfahan on Thursday for what officials described as a final visit, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network said. According to a source cited by the group, Keshavarz’s mother fainted during the in-person meeting due to severe emotional distress.
Iran’s judiciary has provided conflicting information about the arrest. While rights groups previously identified the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps intelligence organization as the arresting body, Mizan reported that Keshavarz was detained by an army protection patrol, without specifying an exact date.
In its report, Mizan described Keshavarz as an “agent of Mossad and the Israeli military,” accusing him of espionage, intelligence cooperation with Israel and photographing military and security sites.
Human rights organizations rejected the official narrative, saying Keshavarz was subjected to coercive interrogations. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported that he was tortured for a week in an IRGC intelligence detention center in Urmia to extract a forced confession, before being transferred to Evin Prison and later back to Urmia.
Broader crackdown and international criticism
The execution triggered widespread condemnation on social media and renewed scrutiny of Iran’s use of capital punishment in security-related cases. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said at least 17 people have been executed in Iran since the start of 2025 on charges related to alleged cooperation with Israel, most of them after the recent war.
Iranian authorities have said more than 700 people were detained on suspicion of espionage or collaboration with Israel following the conflict.
