Recent reports indicate that an Iranian court has sentenced six young men to death in connection with the Ekbatan case, a judicial proceeding dating back to the protests of 2022. The defendants—Milad Armun, Alireza Kafaei, Amir Mohammad Khosh Eghbal, Navid Najaran, Hossein Nemati, and Alireza Barmarzpournak—have endured harsh treatment, including reported torture and extreme pressures throughout their detention.
Attorney Babak Paknia, who represents several of the defendants, announced the court’s decision on the X social network on Wednesday, November 13. He noted that, while the sentencing branch had ruled for capital punishment, the head of the branch opposed the verdict and issued a minority vote, suggesting the ruling could be appealed.
The Ekbatan case arose amid nationwide protests in November 2022, when Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence detained at least 39, and possibly up to 50, residents of Ekbatan, a neighborhood in western Tehran. These arrests followed a series of raids on the homes of individuals accused of organizing protest gatherings in the area. At the time, the Ministry of Intelligence released a statement asserting that those detained were in contact with foreign media and engaged in vandalism in western Tehran. The statement further alleged that the group had access to frequency and eavesdropping equipment, including walkie-talkies.
Charges against the arrested youths have been severe. The judiciary’s spokesperson claimed they were accused of “waging war against God and the state,” as well as “participation in murder” and “collusion against national security.” Notably, eight of the young men face accusations of involvement in the murder of a Basij paramilitary member, Arman Ali Verdi.
The Iranian government’s insistence on death sentences for these young people—despite limited and ambiguous evidence—raises serious concerns about judicial integrity and transparency. The Ekbatan neighborhood has gained symbolic significance, particularly since the 2022 protests, as a bastion of resistance against government oppression. This has transformed the Ekbatan case from a criminal matter into a high-profile security case. The government’s actions suggest a broader effort to stifle dissent by targeting locations and individuals that have come to represent resilience against the regime.
