Businesses in Semirom city in Esfahan Province have gone on strike in protest to heavy charges against two local political prisoners.

Regime security and intelligence forces have framed Fazel and Mehran Bahramian for the murder of an IRGC Basij militia gunman during anti-government protests in the city last December.

The two were arrested in January after the government killed their brother Morad in November. Their detention was apparently aimed to silencing the family. Now they are being accused of killing the Basij member, Mohsen Rezaei, and face charges that could result in the death penalty.

The streets of Semirom witnessed a surge of protests on December 31. Security and military forces were heavily deployed throughout the city at the time. The paramilitary Basij force member, Mohsen Rezaei, allegedly died in clashes.

Hundreds of special police forces were deployed to Samirom starting January 1.

Several people, including Abbasi's sister and Bahramian's two brothers, were arrested during raids on the victims' families.

A source told IranWire that Fazel and Mehran Bahramian, a relative named Younes Bahramian, and another man named Dariush Saadi were tortured to extract confessions on the alleged murder of the Basij militiaman.