In a disturbing escalation of repression, the clerical regime in Iran has intensified its crackdown on dissent by sentencing seven political prisoners to death. This latest move is widely seen as part of a broader strategy to instill fear across society as Tehran grapples with recent military and regional failures. The execution orders come against the backdrop of a regime desperate to maintain control amid rising opposition from within and growing international pressure.
Late last night, the regime’s judiciary issued a statement confirming the death sentences for seven individuals accused of collaborating with the opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The seven prisoners—Abulhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani Amerian, Babak Alipour, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taqavi, and Mojtaba Taqavi—were accused of “rebellion” (baghi) and engaging in armed resistance against the regime. For months, these prisoners were held in solitary confinement and subjected to brutal interrogations in Evin Prison before being hauled before the notorious 26th Branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
In mid-September 2024, the Iranian regime sentenced two political prisoners, Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, both supporters of the PMOI, to death. The sentences, handed down by the notorious judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, accuse the prisoners of “rebellion, waging war against God, corruption on earth, and conspiracy against national security.” Both men were subjected to severe torture during their detention at Evin Prison. At the same time, the regime sentenced Javad Vafaie Sani, a 29-year-old boxing champion and PMOI supporter, to death for the third time, following severe torture and accusations of “corruption on earth” in Mashhad’s Revolutionary Court.
Watch and judge how #MEK's influence inside #Iran has become a devastating factor affecting the regime's internal feud pic.twitter.com/7xLNf7QUB9
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 17, 2024
The timing of these horrendous verdicts coincides with a significant increase in the number of death sentences carried out in recent months. Reports indicate that since Masoud Pezeshkian took office in July 2024, at least 255 prisoners have been executed. In one particularly brutal case, two prisoners were hanged in public in the city of Khomeyn just days before, on September 30, for alleged involvement in the killing of a security officer.
The crackdown has been accompanied by a noticeable uptick in Tehran’s reliance on public relations stunts to project strength, both domestically and regionally. While the regime faces devastating losses on the battlefield—particularly through its proxy forces in the region—it has also turned to increased internal repression to stifle any potential uprising. The regime’s strategy of exporting instability through its regional proxies has faltered, leaving Tehran increasingly isolated and vulnerable.
A key driver of the regime’s crackdown is its fear of the growing influence of the PMOI/MEK. Reports indicate that the organization’s message of resistance has strongly resonated with Iran’s youth and women, pushing the regime to intensify efforts to isolate the population from the opposition. For months, the clerical regime has orchestrated sham trials, threatening PMOI leaders and members with death sentences in a desperate bid to discourage the new generation from joining the movement. By executing PMOI supporters, Tehran seeks to instill fear and deter potential dissidents from rallying behind the opposition.
The Influence of #PMOI/#MEK on Young Iranian Scholars Is Serious!https://t.co/i3ZjSSnZP6 #iranprotests #FreeIran2018 pic.twitter.com/aNweROpB0i
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 10, 2018
The international community has expressed outrage over the regime’s actions. Many members of parliaments of the free world, human rights organizations, and activists have joined the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI to call for immediate international intervention to prevent the execution of these political prisoners. The NCRI has also urged the United Nations and the European Union to make diplomatic and economic relations with the regime conditional upon the cessation of these human rights abuses. In a statement, the NCRI emphasized the need for an international fact-finding mission to investigate the regime’s prisons and hold its leaders accountable for their crimes.
As Tehran faces increasing pressure both domestically and abroad, it is evident that the regime is relying heavily on executions and fear tactics to maintain its grip on power. With its regional proxies weakened and its internal opposition gaining momentum, the regime’s brutal crackdown on dissent reveals its growing desperation.
The very fact that the regime is once again resorting to mass executions of PMOI supporters in 2024, after failing to extinguish the organization through several massacres in the 1980s and terrorist assassinations and bomb plots throughout the years, demonstrates that it is facing a formidable enemy it cannot destroy—an opposition that continues to grow in strength and resilience, and one that will ultimately be the force that brings down the regime.