Two Iranian political prisoners sentenced to death amid rising execution rates

Two political prisoners held in Tehran's Evin Prison have been sentenced to death as Iran's execution rates continue to soar in the wake of the 2022 uprising.

The charges brought against Behrouz Ehsani Eslamloo and Mehdi Hassani include "armed rebellion (baghi), waging war against God (moharebeh), spreading corruption on earth, membership in the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, collecting classified information, and collusion against national security."

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the sentences were formally communicated to the men's lawyers.

Ehsani, 64, was arrested on November 28, 2022, at his home in Tehran and was subsequently transferred to Ward 209, the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention center in Evin Prison.

Hassani, 48, a married father of two, was arrested on September 9, 2022, in Zanjan while attempting to leave the country. He was also taken to the same intelligence agency's detention center in Evin Prison. Both men endured months of interrogation before being moved to the public ward of the prison.

Since the founding of the Islamic Republic, political activists and civil dissidents have been routinely arrested, tortured, and imprisoned. The situation has worsened since the nationwide protests, known as the Women, Life, Freedom uprising, which began in September 2022. The government has cracked down on civil and political activists, increasing the number of arrests and accelerating the issuance and execution of death sentences.

In recent months, the Islamic Republic sentenced two female political prisoners, Pakhshan Azizi and Sharifeh Mohammadi, marking the first death sentences for female political prisoners in 15 years.

Leila Morrovati, a political analyst based in Finland, told Iran International that the international community must take unified action to stop the wave of executions in Iran.

Last year, over 850 executions were carried out, and according to Iran Human Rights, Iranian authorities executed 249 people in the first six months of 2024.

"Now it is the responsibility of international organizations, especially governments, to take coordinated measures to prevent these executions. The global community must be made fully aware of what is happening in Iran," Morovati said.

Amnesty International’s latest annual report noted a rise in executions in Iran, stating that nearly 75% of all recorded executions globally in 2023 took place in the country. The report highlights that since the Women, Life, Freedom uprising, the Iranian authorities have increasingly resorted to the death penalty as a tool to impose control and suppress the growing unrest among the population.