Amnesty International: The Iranian government’s use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression has reached new and horrifying heights. On 27 July 2025, two political prisoners—Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48—were secretly executed in Ghezel Hesar prison, Karaj, without prior notice to them or their families. Amnesty International has condemned these executions as arbitrary and unlawful, highlighting the deepening human rights crisis in the country.
According to Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, both men were denied legal representation for nearly two years and were subjected to a grossly unfair trial that lasted only five minutes. They were not permitted to speak in their defense, and their convictions relied solely on forced confessions extracted under torture, solitary confinement, and threats against their families. Amnesty reports nearly 700 executions in Iran so far in 2025, signaling an alarming rise in state-sanctioned killings.
Ehsani and Hassani were accused of ties to the banned opposition group (PMOI), and convicted on vague charges including “armed rebellion,” “enmity against God,” and “corruption on earth.” The judiciary later claimed they were involved in manufacturing weapons that caused civilian damage, though no verifiable evidence was provided, and both men consistently denied these allegations.
For 18 months, the two men had peacefully protested the death penalty from inside prison, participating in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strike campaign. Their executions appear to be a deliberate move by Iranian authorities to silence dissent and intimidate others amid mounting internal unrest and recent conflict with Israel.
Amnesty International is calling for an immediate halt to all executions and the establishment of a moratorium, with the goal of abolishing the death penalty entirely. The organization also urges the international community to pursue criminal investigations against those responsible for torture and unlawful executions, including senior Iranian officials, under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
These latest executions have sparked fears of a broader campaign of politically motivated killings. State media have recently echoed calls reminiscent of the 1988 prison massacres, during which thousands of dissidents were secretly executed. Amnesty has identified at least 19 individuals currently at risk of execution for political reasons.
Among those in imminent danger are Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was subjected to enforced disappearance in June, as well as women’s rights activists Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pakhshan Azizi, and Verisheh Moradi. Nine others are facing execution in connection with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, and several more are accused of affiliation with the PMOI.
This pattern of repression—marked by secret executions, torture, and expedited death sentences—reflects a systematic effort by the Iranian authorities to eliminate opposition and maintain control through fear. Without immediate international pressure and accountability, these grave violations are likely to continue unchecked.