Amid a foreign war and fearing a new round of social explosion, the clerical regime in Iran executed four PMOI members—Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, and Pouya Ghobadi—at Ghezel Hesar Prison on 30–31 March 2026 after unfair trials and torture. The killings have triggered a wave of global outrage from sitting and former officials, UN bodies, major NGOs, Iranian ethnic organizations, and human rights activists.
Despite heavy security presence, large crowds gathered in Sanqar on April 2, 2026, outside the family home of executed PMOI member Pouya Ghobadi to honor the 33-year-old electrical engineer and his fellow case mate Babak Alipour. Mourners chanted anti-regime songs and expressed solidarity with the families, especially Ghobadi’s mother.
Iranian Opposition Speak Out
The Left Party of Iran condemned the executions as part of 47 years of systematic human-rights violations, noting the men had spent over two years in harsh solitary confinement without fair trials and calling the death penalty a political tool of terror. The Baluchestan People’s Party warned the regime would face justice for the “savage” killings. Baluchestan Ajoyi Zarmbesh described the acts as continuation of repression and compared the regime’s behavior to terrorist groups. Comprehensive Solidarity for Freedom and Equality in Iran called the executions a tool to manage crisis and demanded an immediate halt to death sentences.
Organization Khebat of Kurdistan Iran strongly condemned the “savage” hangings of Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi one day after Taghavi and Daneshvarkar, stating the regime’s fear of popular uprisings had driven it to the gallows. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, Komala Zahmatkeshan Kurdistan, PJAK, Part of Freedom of Kurdistan (PAK), and the Union of Revolutionaries of Kurdistan together with YariKord Organization all issued statements labeling the executions crimes against humanity and demanding an end to the death penalty.
In a new video, former French hostage Olivier Grondot calls the Iranian regime a “criminal state” and warns of the imminent danger facing his friend and former cellmate, Vahid Bani-Amerian.
He calls Vahid a "very polite, intelligent, and brave person." https://t.co/zA7U0uQHlj pic.twitter.com/HyvExKtTVt— Ehsan Eghbal Eslami (@Ehsaneghbale) March 31, 2026
International NGOs and Human Rights Bodies Issue Urgent Appeals
Amnesty International condemned the “arbitrary executions” after grossly unfair trials, torture, and forced confessions, urging the international community to pressure Iran immediately. The Nordic Committee of Friends of a Free Iran and the Dutch Friends of a Free Iran group jointly denounced the killings, warning that at least 16 other PMOI members and supporters—including Vahid Bani-Ameryan and Abolhassan Montazer—remain at imminent risk of execution.
The Italian Federation for Human Rights and the “Nessuno Tocchi Caino” (Hands off Cain) Association sent urgent letters to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Special Rapporteur Mai Sato, demanding public condemnation and maximum pressure to stop further executions. Friends of a Free Iran in the European Parliament wrote to the EU High Representative, highlighting the executions as a repeat of the 1988 massacre pattern and calling for concrete protective measures.
🚨 URGENT CALL TO ACTION: Two more MEK political prisoners are at imminent risk of execution in Iran.
Vahid Bani-Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer could be executed at any moment, just as four other MEK political prisoners were murdered this week. #SAVE_VAHID #SAVE_ABOLHASSAN https://t.co/Cv25fHqYac pic.twitter.com/5G10yopyYT
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) April 2, 2026
Officials Voice Outrage and Demand Action
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani stated the regime executed the four because it fears Iranians fighting for change inside the country. Former European Parliament Vice-President Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras declared the “murderous dictatorship” survives only through terror and hoped for its swift overthrow by the Iranian people. Former US Senator Sam Brownback said the illegitimate regime must go because the Iranian people want change.US Congressman Brad Sherman condemned the “savage” executions after torture and sham trials, reaffirming support for Iranians’ right to protest and overthrow tyranny. In the European Parliament, MEPs Petras Auštrevičius and Milan Zver co-signed a strong protest letter. Former Norwegian Environment Minister Ola Elvestuen (Liberal Party) called on Norway and all countries to condemn the executions immediately and support those fighting for freedom and democracy in Iran.
Iranian activists and human rights organizations have joined the global outcry, warning that the executions must not be overshadowed by regional conflict. Iran Human Rights (IHR), for instance, declared that “the war must not overshadow the Islamic Republic’s atrocities against its own people,” highlighting that Vahid Bani-Ameryan and Abolhassan Montazer—two more PMOI affiliates condemned in the same case—remain at imminent risk of execution and urging the world to “act now to save them.”
KILLING SPREE: Iran Executions Surge in 2026, Raising Alarm Over Wartime Crackdownhttps://t.co/hQrMI1vZfS
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) April 2, 2026
Global Protests and Actions Amplify Calls for Justice
Supporters of the PMOI held coordinated protests in Vienna, Berlin, Stockholm, Washington, Oslo, Gothenburg, Hanover, Vancouver, Aarhus, Melbourne, Copenhagen, and Bucharest. NCRI supporters staged dramatic actions—including chaining themselves, displaying blood-stained shirts and photos of the martyrs, and blocking streets—while chanting “Stop the executions!” and “Down with the executioner regime!”
One of the demands of all rallies and demonstrations has been the closure of the regime’s embassies and the expulsion of its agents.
The unified message from every official, parliamentarian, NGO, ethnic organization, Iranian dissident, and activist is clear: the executions are crimes that must be condemned, investigated, and stopped. All demand immediate international action to protect the remaining prisoners and hold the Iranian regime accountable.