Amnesty International is urgently calling on Iranian authorities to halt the execution of Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, two political prisoners sentenced to death on charges of alleged membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Ehsani and Hassani were convicted in September 2024 by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court under charges including “enmity against God” (moharebeh), “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz), and collusion against national security. Their sentences were upheld by the Iranian regime’s Supreme Court last week, sparking international outrage.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard posted on X: “We at @Amnesty are calling on Iranian authorities to immediately halt the executions of Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48.” The organization also highlighted the use of torture during their detention, prolonged solitary confinement, and a grossly unfair trial.
Ehsani, a political prisoner since the 1980s, and Hassani were arrested in late 2022 and transferred to Evin Prison’s notorious Ward 209, where they endured severe physical and psychological abuse. Both were vocal members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, advocating against Iran’s rising execution rates.
We at @Amnesty are calling on Iranian authorities to immediately halt the executions of Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, who were notified last week that their death sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court. https://t.co/9ZmS20TYHC
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) January 16, 2025
In letters written before their sentencing, the men called for international support. Behrouz Ehsani stated, “This execution-driven regime can do nothing else. I will not bargain over my life… I am ready to sacrifice my insignificant life for the liberation of the Iranian people.”
The Iranian Resistance has also called on the United Nations, the European Union, and international human rights bodies to intervene immediately. “The regime’s judiciary is using these executions to suppress dissent and intimidate the population amid growing unrest,” said the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
In 2024, Iran’s regime executed at least 1,000 people—the highest number in three decades—with 47% of these killings occurring in the year’s final quarter as the regime faced mounting crises. Under Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidency, who openly mocked human rights concerns, the judiciary targeted marginalized groups, including 119 Baluch citizens, 34 women, and seven juveniles. These executions, coupled with brutal punishments such as amputations and eye-gouging, reflect the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s desperate attempt to suppress dissent and delay the regime’s inevitable collapse, as noted by NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi.
The international community now faces mounting pressure to respond decisively to prevent the loss of two more lives in Iran’s crackdown on political dissent.