Iranian Woman, 20, Sentenced to Hang After Guards Allegedly Threatened to Rape Her Sister to Force 'Confession'

Taraneh Rahimi was still a teenager when she joined anti-government protests in Iran. Now, at 20, she faces execution after signing a confession her family says was obtained only after prison guards threatened to rape her twin sister, Romina, in front of her.

The family told The Guardian that guards threatened to sexually assault Romina unless Taraneh confessed. An Iranian court subsequently sentenced Taraneh to death, while Romina received a 25-year prison sentence. Human rights organization Hengaw, however, reports that Romina was sentenced to 36 years.

Nine other defendants in the same case also face execution. The group faced several charges, including moharebeh (enmity against God), destruction of public property, assembly and collusion, and propaganda against the state. Hengaw reports that the other defendants who escaped death sentences received prison terms ranging from 16 to 36 years.

The twins were 19 when masked men took them from their beds following protests in Isfahan on 8 and 9 January. Their mother, Marzieh Nourmohammadi, spent four months searching hospitals and state institutions before learning where they were being held. When she finally visited them at Dowlatabad prison in May, she reportedly struggled to recognise her own daughters.

What the Court Decided

Branch One of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court handed down the initial sentences on 31 August. Ten of the 16 people on trial, including Taraneh, each received a death sentence and 11 years in prison. The other six received prison terms totalling 146 years. The defendants can appeal the initial verdicts.

The case also centres on two deaths during the unrest at Shohada Square. A Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member and a homeless man died during the events, but Hengaw reported that prosecutors did not bring direct murder charges against the 16 defendants and presented no documented evidence connecting them to either death. The organisation said the case file instead contained video appearing to show Taraneh attempting to stop people from attacking the homeless man.

The proceedings also included allegations of mistreatment during detention. According to Hengaw, one defendant, Ahmadreza Saeidi, told the court that an investigator tortured him by applying electric shocks to his neck and genitals. The account was given during the trial and forms part of the wider allegations surrounding how evidence and confessions were obtained.

What Happens Next

An appeal to a higher court is now the family's only option, but they do not expect the authorities to follow the legal process. Their cousin, Masoud Nourmohammadi, told The Guardian that the authorities 'do not follow their own law.' He said lawyers have an 18-day period to appeal in such cases, but claimed that authorities had recently executed some prisoners before that period ended.

The UN Human Rights Office says Iran has executed at least 56 people on national-security-related charges since 19 March. It says 27 of them were in cases linked to protests at the start of the year, while more than 100 others remain at risk of execution on similar charges. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the death penalty was being used 'to instill fear among the population and suppress dissent.'

More than 70 protesters in Isfahan are facing execution, according to Iran Human Rights. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam of the organisation said the national figure is 'far higher than previously estimated.' Britain joined 30 other countries and the EU's top diplomat in condemning Iran's executions in August.