Iran executes political prisoners for links to opposition

London, 30 March 2026: Iranian authorities executed two political prisoners on Monday for membership in the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and for “attempting to overthrow the Islamic Republic”, the judiciary announced.

“After confirmation and final approval of the sentence by the Supreme Court, Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi-Sangdehi were hanged this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said.

Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) had previously submitted case files concerning Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, 59, and Seyed Mohammad Taghavi‑Sangdehi, 58, to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran on 10 August 2025.

Acting with the prisoners’ consent and on their behalf, JVMI also submitted detailed information to the UN Fact‑Finding Mission on Iran (FFMI) on 17 and 19 October 2025 respectively, documenting the serious abuses to which they were being subjected in detention.

Daneshvarkar’s submission to the FFMI stated in part: “I live in a country that has, for years, been the subject of repeated human rights violation resolutions. Its government, while ignoring these resolutions, has never allowed entry to human rights rapporteurs and continues to deny accountability for the widespread violations of human rights. The ruling government in Iran even violates its own laws. Such a government does not answer for the trampling of the basic rights of individuals like myself, and filing complaints against human rights violators with the violators themselves is a futile and fruitless endeavour. Therefore, our only refuge—mine included—is to file complaints against the heads of government and judiciary before international bodies and human rights organisations, so that they may, with fairness and impartiality, hear our words and strive to ensure justice is served. My life is in danger. The lives of my friends are in danger”.

Taghavi Sangdehi’s submission to the FFMI stated in part: “As you are aware, in such a medieval totalitarian regime where the head of the judiciary is appointed by the Supreme Leader’s decree, all institutions that could receive complaints are themselves perpetrators and executors of crimes against humanity. Our lawyers, under pressure from the Intelligence Ministry and judiciary, have limited scope of activity and are denied free access to case files. Like a candle in the dark, they can only appeal the death sentence. But the final verdict is dictated and determined by the Intelligence Ministry. Therefore, the only venue for submitting complaints and our sole remaining hope is correspondence with international human rights bodies — which, in the eyes of the regime’s security and judicial apparatus, is considered a crime and leads to prosecution”.

Daneshvarkar was arrested on 3 January 2024 at his home in Tehran. Taghavi‑Sangdehi was arrested on 22 February 2024 at the Chaldoran border while attempting to leave Iran. Both men were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture, including beatings, threats of summary execution, and prolonged solitary confinement.

They were among a group of six political prisoners charged with “membership in the PMOI”, “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against internal and external security”, “armed rebellion (baghi) against the Islamic government”, and “formation of a group to disrupt national security”.

All six were sentenced to death on 30 November 2024 by Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

The trial, held on 6 October 2024, lasted only a few minutes. The charge of “armed rebellion” (baghi) was based solely on the men’s alleged affiliation with the PMOI, with no evidence of involvement in violence presented.

In August 2025, the six prisoners were transferred to Qezel Hesar Prison — a facility notorious for carrying out political executions — raising serious concerns about their imminent execution.

On 5 September 2025, five UN Special Rapporteurs sent a joint letter to the Iranian authorities expressing “grave concern about the imminent risk of execution” of the six men, stating:

“The above mentioned six men have received death sentences for baghi (armed rebellion against the foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran) based on their alleged connections with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). They were arrested between 22 December 2023 and 23 February 2024 in various locations, including Tehran and the Chaldoran border. It is alleged that no arrest warrants were presented, and that excessive force and threats were used during arrest.”

“Moreover, we are seriously concerned at information indicating that the judicial proceedings in all six cases did not fulfil the requirements for due process and a fair trial under international human rights law, rendering such sentences unfair and the death penalty unlawful. Given the uncertainty surrounding any review or retrial, we are deeply concerned about the imminent risk of executions.”

A retrial for the six prisoners took place on 16 November 2025 at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Judge Afshari, who had handed down the initial sentences, presided over the retrial — a violation of the international standards of a fair trial. He ignored a demand by the prisoners’ lawyers that since all six cases were linked, they be heard together. Instead, he held separate sessions for each prisoner, with each hearing lasting just a few minutes.

On 7 December 2025, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court upheld all six death sentences.

The imposition of the death penalty following proceedings that fail to meet international fair‑trial standards violates Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including the right to life, the right to a fair trial, and the prohibition of torture and other ill‑treatment.

Threats to repeat the 1988 Massacre

On 27 July 2025, political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani were executed in Ghezel Hesar on similar charges tied to PMOI membership, despite international appeals.

Those executions followed a 7 July 2025 editorial by Fars News Agency—affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—which described the 1988 mass executions as a “successful historical experience” and explicitly called for their repetition against current political opponents.

The editorial, entitled “Why the 1988 Executions Should Be Repeated”, not only justified and glorified crimes against humanity, but also issued what can only be interpreted as incitement to commit future atrocity crimes. It sought to normalise the extrajudicial killing of political opponents by framing them as threats to national security, aligning with a broader pattern of state-sponsored dehumanisation and criminalisation of dissent.

JVMI previously warned that the publication of such content by Iranian state media underscored the urgent risk of recurrence of mass atrocity crimes in Iran.

In his 2024 landmark report on atrocity crimes, the then-United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Professor Javaid Rehman, concluded that the events of 1988 “amounted to the crimes against humanity of murder, extermination, persecution, and other inhumane acts”.

The report further noted that “there is considerable evidence that mass killings…were conducted with genocidal intent.” His report called for international accountability and noted the systematic impunity that has emboldened Iranian authorities to continue committing gross human rights violations, including the recent unlawful executions of protesters and prisoners of conscience.

Following major anti-government protests in late December 2025 and January 2026, Iranian authorities have threatened to execute anyone suspected of anti-government activity. As many as 50,000 people are believed to have been arrested for taking part in the protests.

JVMI condemns the execution of Daneshvarkar and Taghavi‑Sangdehi and warns that urgent international pressure is needed to prevent a repeat of the 1988 massacre.

JVMI repeats its request to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran (FFMI), the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and her colleagues in the Special Procedures, as well as governments worldwide, to publicly call for an immediate halt to these political executions and to press for compliance with Iran’s international human rights obligations. Silence now would be a green light for further irreversible violations. The lives of Iran’s political prisoners depend on swift, public, and coordinated action.

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Background to the 1988 Massacre

In 1988, the government of Iran massacred an estimated 30,000 political and ideological prisoners. The extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances took place based on a fatwa by then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, targeting the main opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI or MEK). Three-member commissions known as ‘Death Commissions’ were formed across Iran, sending political prisoners who refused to abandon their beliefs to execution. Members of other leftist groups were also executed in a subsequent second wave. The victims were buried in secret mass graves. The perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity.

Contact

Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI)

Email: info@iran1988.org

Website: www.iran1988.org

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