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The clerical regime’s judiciary has submitted a 12-page report to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, seeking to justify the death sentences of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, two political prisoners affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The document accuses them of orchestrating violent acts during the 2022 nationwide protests, membership in the PMOI, and spreading anti-government propaganda. This move comes as the regime faces intense international criticism for its ongoing human rights violations, with the global community denouncing the sentences as part of a broader campaign to silence dissent.
Ehsani, 67, and Hassani, 48, were arrested following the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody. The judiciary’s report lists charges such as “collecting classified information,” “building explosives,” and “participating in PMOI media broadcasts,” claiming the trials adhered to international standards. It denies allegations of torture and insists the men had access to legal representation. However, international observers, including UN experts and human rights organizations, report that judicial proceedings in Iran have been marred by forced confessions, lack of independent counsel, and secretive hearings, with defendants restricted to state-approved lawyers.
🚨 The European Parliament just adopted a resolution condemning Iran’s death sentences against political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani & Mehdi Hassani. The resolution also urges the @EUCouncil to #BlacklistIRGC
CC: @drmaisato #StopExecutionsInIran #SaveMehdiHassani #SaveBehrouzEhsani pic.twitter.com/5r6HkpyIc0
— M. Hanif Jazayeri (@HanifJazayeri) April 3, 2025
The report’s release coincides with another alarming development: the ongoing sham trial of 104 members and leaders of the Iranian Resistance, primarily PMOI affiliates, accused of undermining state security. This mass prosecution, widely criticized as a pretext to criminalize dissent, sets a dangerous precedent, enabling the regime to label the accused as a PMOI operative and justify their execution. Such tactics recall the 1988 massacre, when the clerical dictatorship executed over 30,000 political prisoners, mostly PMOI supporters, in a brutal purge that remains unpunished. Many of the perpetrators from that era still hold power, underscoring the regime’s unchanging reliance on violence to maintain control.
The international response has been unequivocal. Amnesty International, the European Parliament, dozens of former heads of state, sitting legislators, and various human rights groups have condemned the death sentences of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani as flagrant violations of justice, calling for their immediate halt. The regime, however, has dismissed these criticisms, ignoring decades of global outcry over its record of arbitrary detentions, torture, and executions. This defiance highlights a pattern of impunity stretching back to the 1988 massacre and continuing through today’s crackdowns.
Justice in Absurdity: #Iran’s Lawless Dictator Holds Trial of Sworn Enemieshttps://t.co/gMVIRpmuT0
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 25, 2023
A global campaign to save Ehsani, Hassani, and other PMOI-affiliated prisoners on death row is gaining momentum. Protests in cities like Paris and Washington, alongside statements from organizations such as the British Committee for Iran Freedom and the French Committee for a Democratic Iran, have urged UN action to prevent the executions. Inside Iran, prisoners have joined the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, amplifying calls to end the regime’s use of the death penalty. These efforts reflect a growing demand for accountability, not only for these cases but also for the trial of the 104, which threatens to escalate the regime’s repression of anyone tied to the PMOI.