In a unique and massive online campaign, the execution sentence against Amirhossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi was highlighted. Millions protested through the hashtag "do not execute".

Now one of the lawyers writes on Twitter that their request for a new trial has been approved by the Supreme Court of Iran.

- Now we hope that the verdict will be overturned, says lawyer Babak Paknia to the news agency AFP.

Expert: The protests have played a role

The death sentences against the trio were upheld by the court a few days ago, but were met with massive protests.

The campaign has undoubtedly played a role in how the case was handled, writes Iranian expert Rouzbeh Parsi at the Foreign Policy Institute in a comment to SVT News.

"Those who protested against the verdict are mainly ordinary people, but also famous artists, academics, journalists and politicians," writes Parsi.

He also points out that one of the judges in the Supreme Court opposed the death sentences. The defense lawyers hope that a new trial will result in the death sentences being overturned.

Convicted after last year's demonstrations

All three are in their twenties and were sentenced to death for taking part in last year's November protests in Iran, which began as a result of higher petrol prices. They are accused of, among other things, vandalism and arson, reports the BBC.

Thousands were arrested and more than 200 people were killed, according to an estimate from the country's interior ministry. Amnesty International estimates that it is rather 300 people.

Followed by China, Iran is the country in the world that executes the most people, according to Amnesty International.

At least 251 people were executed in the country in 2019.