A 21-year-old Iranian protester shared a devastating final phone call with his father, who could only sob as authorities took him away to be executed moments later.
A recording of the conversation from an Isfahan prison captured the family’s anguish shortly before Alireza Raisi was hanged for his alleged involvement in protests against the Iranian regime in January, according to reports.
“Forgive me! Forgive me,” Raisi’s father said through tears. “There is nothing I can do for you.”
“Dad, I’m proud of you in every way,” Raisi replied. “I am always proud of you.”
“I’m proud of you, too,” his father answered through sobs, according to the audio recording.
Even as he faced imminent execution, Raisi told his father he would do anything to ease the pain of losing a son.
The young protester also vowed to watch over his cousin, Ramin Raisi, who was killed during a January 9 demonstration in Isfahan’s Baharestand neighborhood, Iran International reported.
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“Don’t cry, dad,” Raisi said. “Give my regards to uncle as well. Tell him I’m keeping an eye on Ramin.”
Raisi was hanged last week alongside Alireza Sepahi, 25, another protester who reportedly married over the phone from prison just hours before his execution.
The two men were among 12 defendants accused of killing four members of Iran’s security forces during a protest at Shahid Alikhani Square in Isfahan, a site where the regime has carried out public executions.
They were convicted in proceedings that human rights groups denounced as sham trials. The groups said the men were allegedly subjected to severe torture to obtain confessions used in court.
The families of Raisi and Sepahi faced additional anguish after reportedly being prevented from burying their loved ones in their hometowns, according to Iran International.
Prominent Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad condemned the executions and described the process as a serious human rights violation, while calling on Iran to stop killing political prisoners.
“This is what the Islamic Republic calls justice: 18 days of torture. Electric shocks. A forced confession. A trial lasting minutes. An appeal thrown out in less than 48 hours. A gallows built beside a Revolutionary Guard executioner,” she wrote on X.
“They think the rope will end the uprising. The rope is only creating more anger towards society,” Alinejad added.
