Iran Confirms More Death Sentences Amid Execution Spree

Two more political prisoners, Yousef Ahmadi and Ali Abidavi, have been sentenced to death amid Iran's ongoing killing spree.

The two are the latest victims of the government's crackdown on dissent following a record year in 2023 seeing 834 executions according to the United Nations, eight linked to the nationwide protests which began in 2022.

Ahmadi, originally sentenced in September by the Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj on charges of "corruption," saw his appeal denied, while Abidavi, along with his brother Hossein, received their verdict from the Revolutionary Court of Mahshahr.

Ahmadi, along with co-defendants Mohammad Karimi, Baset Karimi, and Mohammad Feizi, were arrested in May 2020 in Baneh, Kordestan province, under accusations of collaborating with an opposition party. Reports indicate they were subjected to severe torture to extract confessions, which led to Ahmadi's death sentence and varying prison terms for the others.

Simultaneously, Ali and Hossein Abidavi faced the judiciary in Mahshahr, accused of attacking a Basij base four years ago. Ali Abidavi received the death penalty, while his brother was sentenced to 13 years behind bars.

This week, the UN's experts slammed the execution of Mohammad Ghobadlou, a 23-year-old protester with a long-term psychosocial disability.