In a powerful open letter addressed to Ms. Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, long-serving political prisoner Saeed Masouri reveals the concealed and systematic practices that pave the way for executions in Iran.
Masouri, who has endured 25 years of imprisonment under the Iranian regime, warns of an “unprecedented wave” of executions—more than 170 in May alone—and calls on international human rights institutions, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to take immediate and decisive action.
His letter outlines how executions in Iran are preceded by a series of human rights violations, including psychological torture, denial of legal counsel, fabricated charges, coerced confessions, and sham trials—what he terms the “hidden preludes to the crime.”
A Letter from the Depths of Iran’s Judicial Machinery
Below is the full text of Saeed Masouri’s letter, edited for clarity and accuracy while maintaining its urgency and emotional depth.
An Open Letter to the International Community and the UN Human Rights Council
From Saeed Masouri, Political Prisoner – Ghezel Hesar Prison
To all those with awakened consciences, especially human rights rapporteurs, Ms. Mai Sato, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
The crime of execution in Iran does not occur in isolation—it is preceded by a series of criminal procedures that remain hidden.
🚨25 Years Behind Bars, Still Speaking Truth.
Political prisoner #SaeedMasouri has written an open letter to #UNSpecialRapporteur Ms. #MaiSato, exposing the hidden, unlawful mechanisms behind death penalty in #Iran.@balde_aua @UN_SPExperts@WGEID @UN_SPExperts @SwissAmbUN_GVA pic.twitter.com/1ZeNGQ3O5v— Iran Human Rights Society (@iranhrs_en) May 31, 2025
After spending 25 years in prison under the Islamic Republic, I have witnessed a wave of executions that is without precedent in the past three decades. More than 170 individuals were executed in a single month. Yet what remains invisible to the public eye is the network of injustices that occur before the execution—the silent crimes that precede the final act.
These include psychological coercion, the denial of the right to defense, sham legal processes, threats against the families of the accused, and confessions extracted under duress. Each of these actions forms part of what I call “the hidden architecture of the crime.”
From the moment a defendant is accused, especially in so-called “security cases” involving political charges, agents of the Ministry of Intelligence or the IRGC Intelligence Organization construct the entire case. The roles of prosecutors and judges become mere formalities. The whole process, from accusation to sentencing, is scripted and staged.
A single document known as the “summary report” or “case report sheet,” prepared by intelligence agents, becomes the basis for the indictment and, eventually, the verdict. Judges rarely review the case file in any meaningful way. Court hearings often last no more than ten minutes. Defense attorneys are systematically denied access to case materials—a flagrant violation of Article 48 of Iran’s own Criminal Procedure Code, which stipulates the right to legal representation and case transparency.
Iranian political prisoner Saeed Masouri warns of escalating executions as he spends 25th Christmas behind bars https://t.co/e0uJDenMbx
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 1, 2025
Verdicts are pre-written. The illusion of a fair trial is maintained through empty rhetoric—phrases such as “resolving disputes,” “balancing rights,” and “protecting the innocent.” In reality, none of these principles are observed. The judiciary does not adhere even to its own laws. The accused is deprived of due process and stripped of their most basic civil rights.
In one case, the Head of Prosecution openly declared, in the presence of political prisoners, that the files of Mr. Mehdi Hassani and Mr. Behrouz Ehsani were confidential. This seemingly simple declaration—“this case is confidential and inaccessible to the accused and their lawyer”—is a clear and deliberate violation of the right to defense and the principle of a fair and open trial.
How can justice be served when the accused is denied access to the charges against them? When are their lawyers prevented from reviewing evidence? When even the rationale behind the death sentence is classified?
These so-called “confidential” cases are a tool to cover up the absence of credible evidence. Forced confessions, particularly those aired on state television, are extracted in exchange for vague promises of clemency. The accused is offered two choices: either falsely confess and plead for mercy, or face certain execution.
Even defense lawyers are powerless. Denied any meaningful access or agency, they are left hoping their clients will say or do something, anything, that might save their lives.
Political prisoner Saeed Masouri calls on Iranian students to join the “No to Executions” Campaign https://t.co/PDP3EpqpqP
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) December 6, 2024
The regime does not stop at the prisoner. Families are summoned and threatened: “Tell your loved one to express remorse, confess a few lines, plead for forgiveness—or they will be executed, and it will be your fault.”
This state-orchestrated coercion isolates the prisoner, alienates the family, and demoralizes the defense. It shifts the blame away from the regime and onto the victims themselves.
These hidden procedures, the systematic coercion, the forced remorse, the scripted confessions, are the invisible prelude to executions in Iran. They have become institutionalized over the years, and they create a precedent that threatens every future defendant.
This is why I am appealing to you, the international community, and the United Nations:
At what point does this systematic, state-sanctioned violence cross the threshold into a matter worthy of international intervention?
How many more mass executions must occur before this issue is raised before the UN Security Council?
I urge you to act.
—Saeed Masouri
Ghezel Hesar Prison, Iran