Iran’s brutal regime is believed to be preparing for a massive wave of executions reminiscent of the 1988 massacre, in which around 30,000 political prisoners were killed. Amid mounting internal and external pressure, insiders fear Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered a chilling escalation in the state’s use of capital punishment to terrorize the population and stamp out dissent.
This comes after the secret executions of two political prisoners—Mehdi Hassani, 48, and Behrouz Ehsani, 70—carried out at dawn on Sunday, July 27. Both men were accused of supporting the (PMOI), the country’s primary opposition group. Their deaths were reportedly based on trumped-up charges and forced confessions extracted through torture. Families were given no notice, and the authorities have refused to return their bodies, allegedly planning to bury them in secret.
Hassani, a father of three, had previously sent out a haunting voice message condemning the cruelty of Iran’s clerical regime. Ehsani, meanwhile, had bravely declared he was ready to die in pursuit of freedom. For over a year, both men protested their incarceration through weekly hunger strikes as part of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign.
Their killings have intensified fears that Iran’s theocratic rulers are preparing for a widescale purge of political prisoners, similar to the atrocities committed in 1988. That year, following a ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq war, tens of thousands of political detainees were executed in secret. Now, critics say the regime is on a similar path—driven by fear, desperation, and the threat of collapse.
According to reports, recent calls by Iran’s state-run Fars News Agency—aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—have openly advocated for a repeat of the 1988 massacre. These threats come amid increasing instability following Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, which have exposed vulnerabilities in the regime’s control.
Human rights groups and international officials are sounding the alarm. Baroness O’Loan DBE has urged the UK government to act, stating that the same individuals threatening Western security are orchestrating atrocities inside Iran. Dowlat Nowrouzi, UK representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), condemned the global community’s failure to hold Iran accountable for its crimes, which she says has emboldened its leadership.
Saeed Masouri, one of Iran’s longest-serving political prisoners, warned of an impending mass execution in a handwritten letter before being violently dragged from his cell. More than 100 armed guards raided his prison ward, assaulting inmates and relocating Masouri to the notorious Zahedan Prison. He compared current events to 1988, warning, “This so-called ‘fire at discretion’ is an attempt to conceal the decay and collapse of the ruling system.”
The regime has now cut off contact between many political prisoners and their families, further obscuring its actions. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI, condemned the recent executions as desperate attempts by Khamenei to cling to power. “These atrocities only deepen the outrage of the Iranian people,” she said, calling for international intervention.
With over 1,000 executions recorded last year and hundreds more expected in 2025, Iran now holds the grim title of having the world’s highest execution rate. Activists fear this year could mark a deadly turning point.