Hands Off Cain, an international human rights association advocating for a global moratorium on the death penalty, has issued an urgent appeal to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Mai Sato. The organization expressed deep alarm over a surge in executions in Iran in 2024 and condemned the death sentences recently handed down to six political prisoners accused of membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
The six individuals—Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani-Amrian, Babak Alipour, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi—were sentenced following months of interrogation under torture. Charges against them include “collusion and conspiracy against national security,” “armed rebellion against the government,” and “destruction of public property.” Mojtaba and Ali Taghavi, brothers of Mohammad Taghavi, were also sentenced to imprisonment and exile solely due to their familial relationship.
The sentences, issued by Judge Iman Afshari of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, Branch 26, highlight what Hands Off Cain described as systemic persecution of PMOI/MEK members and sympathizers. The organization stated, “These rulings reflect ongoing crimes against humanity, as noted in the UN’s July 2024 report titled ‘Atrocity Crimes,’ which documents decades of persecution against this group.”
Hands Off Cain called for urgent action to save the lives of these six prisoners and secure the release of all political detainees in Iran. “We appeal to the international community to condemn these violations and renew calls for a moratorium on all capital executions in Iran,” the organization declared.
The original Hands Off Cain statement follows: