Iran carried out the execution of an architecture student convicted of spying for Israel on Saturday, the judiciary announced, despite sustained concerns raised by rights groups over his detention, trial process and allegations of torture.
Aqil Keshavarz, a student at Shahroud University and a native of Isfahan, was executed after his death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, the judiciary said.
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.
