Iranian twin sisters Taraneh and Romina Rahimi, both 19 at the time, have been sentenced over their participation in anti-regime protests in Isfahan in January, with Taraneh receiving a death sentence and Romina 25 years in prison, after both endured months of alleged torture in detention. The case highlights the Iranian regime's continuing crackdown on dissent, with rights groups saying such sentences are intended to instil fear and deter further demonstrations following widespread unrest.

The pair were dragged from their beds by masked men linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps a month after joining protests on 8 and 9 January, and were not located by their family for four months. When their mother finally visited them at Dowlatabad prison in Isfahan, she found them with patchy hair from being dragged by it, bruised faces and broken bones, and Taraneh was reportedly threatened with her sister's rape unless she confessed. According to Iran Human Rights, at least 511 people have been executed in Iran so far in 2026, including at least 29 linked to the January protests and at least 16 women, with activists accusing the regime of using executions as a tool of intimidation.