Iran executes 21-year-old protester; last call to father

A recording of a final phone call from an Isfahan prison was released this week, exposing the brutal face of the Iranian regime's crackdown on dissent. Alireza Raisi, a 21-year-old Iranian, was hanged for taking part in mass protests against the ayatollahs, but not before he was permitted one last call to his father.

In the brief conversation, the father is heard weeping and asking his son's forgiveness for being unable to save his life.

In response, and with composure in the face of imminent death, the young man tried to calm his father and told him he was proud of him with all his heart.

Raisi also promised his father that he would meet his cousin in heaven, the cousin had been killed in clashes with regime security forces at the start of the wave of protests, the New York Post reported.

Raisi's execution was not an isolated case. Hanged alongside him was another young man, Alireza Sepahi, 25, who managed to marry in a rushed phone ceremony from his cell just hours before his death. The two were designated by the authorities as part of a group accused of causing the deaths of four security personnel during a violent demonstration in Shahid Alikhani Square in Isfahan.

International human rights organizations and Iranian activists abroad sharply condemn the legal proceedings that led to the death sentences. According to reports, the two underwent weeks of severe torture, including beatings and electric shocks, until forced confessions were extracted from them. The trial itself lasted only a few minutes, and appeals filed were rejected in less than 48 hours.

Patriot missile battery (Photo: German Army NATO mission)

Even after the executions, the Iranian regime continues to abuse the bereaved families. According to reports, the authorities prevented family members from burying their loved ones in the cities where they grew up, out of fear that the funerals would become focal points for new and stormy protests.

Human rights activists note that the regime's attempt to use the hangman's noose to silence the Iranian street only intensifies the deep anger and frustration among the public, who see this conduct as further proof of the cruelty of the Tehran government.