More than 150 international experts, Nobel laureates, and NGOs have issued an urgent letter to Dr. Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, calling for immediate intervention to prevent the execution of six political prisoners.
The six individuals sentenced to death by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court include:
- Abolhassan Montazer (65): An architect and long-time political prisoner suffering from severe health conditions.
- Pouya Ghobadi (32): An electrical engineer detained in March 2024.
- Vahid Bani-Amrian (32): A management graduate repeatedly arrested since 2017.
- Babak Alipour (33): A law graduate detained multiple times, most recently in January 2024.
- Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar (57): A civil engineer arrested in January 2024.
- Mohammad Taghavi (58): A political prisoner subjected to torture during previous incarcerations.
These sentences, issued on November 25, 2024, by Judge Iman Afshari, are part of a broader campaign to suppress dissent in Iran. The charges—ranging from “armed rebellion against the government” to “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization (PMOI/MEK)”—are widely seen as politically motivated and a violation of international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory.
🚨URGENT APPEAL
UN Special Rapporteur @drmaisato should help save 6 political prisoners in Iran facing imminent execution. #StopExecutionsInIran
Vahid Bani-Amrian
Abolhassan Montazer
Babak Alipour
Pouya Ghobadi
Mohammad Taghavi
Ali Akbar Daneshvarkarhttps://t.co/bktlP4uE0Y pic.twitter.com/XF4bDnaFcJ— Justice for the Victims of 1988 Massacre in Iran (@jvmifoundation) December 4, 2024
The letter also highlights the sentencing of other PMOI supporters in recent months, such as Mohammad-Javad Vafai Sani, a political prisoner and boxing champion, condemned to death for the third time in September 2024.
The signatories urge Dr. Sato to publicly condemn the sentences and advocate for the protection of the prisoners, stressing, “Immediate international action is critical to confront Iran’s culture of impunity.”
The appeal has been forwarded to key UN officials, including High Commissioner Volker Türk and Special Rapporteur Morris Tidball-Binz.