{"id":344627,"date":"2026-04-25T06:23:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=344627"},"modified":"2026-04-25T06:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T05:23:17","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-april-25-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-april-25-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 April 25, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gothenburg,
Gothenburg, Sweden: NCRI supporters honored executed political prisoners and PMOI members Nima Shahi and Hamed Validi on April 21, 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h3>\n

UPDATE: 07:00 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Legacy of Dr. Kazem Rajavi Still Lives On 36 Years After His Assassination<\/h3>\n

\"Iran:<\/p>\n

On April 24, 2026, the Iranian Resistance marks 36 years since the tragic assassination of Dr. Kazem Rajavi near his home in Coppet, Switzerland. Dr. Rajavi was not merely a victim of the Iranian regime\u2019s state-sponsored terrorism; he is remembered by the Iranian people as the \u201cGreat Martyr of Human Rights.\u201d Agents of Iran\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) assassinated him in 1990, believing bullets could permanently silence his voice. Instead, his lifelong mission to expose the clerical regime\u2019s brutality laid the unshakeable groundwork for today\u2019s ongoing fight for justice in Iran.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rajavi possessed an unmatched intellect and global standing. Holding six doctoral degrees in law and political science from universities in France and Switzerland, he authored over 120 books and dissertations and taught at various Swiss universities. Following the 1979 anti-monarchist revolution, his stellar reputation earned him the role of Iran\u2019s first ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, and later ambassador to Senegal and head of the political delegation to seven West African countries.<\/p>\n

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The Brutal Relocation of Political Prisoners to Ghezel Hesar\u2019s Solitary Confinement<\/h3>\n

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On April 13, 2026, the Iranian regime\u2019s judiciary authorities orchestrated a\u00a0sudden and violent transfer of political prisoners<\/a>\u00a0from Ward 7 of Evin Prison to solitary confinement in Unit 3 of the notoriously brutal Ghezel Hesar Prison. This violent relocation, characterized by severe physical abuse and absolute secrecy, exposes the regime\u2019s deep-seated fear of prisoner solidarity and its systematic use of psychological and physical torture to break the will of dissidents, particularly those affiliated with the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK).<\/p>\n

The transfer of the prisoners was carried out with extreme brutality. On April 12 and 13, 2026, Evin\u2019s guards moved the prisoners while they were handcuffed, shackled, and blindfolded. Before their departure from Evin, the guards forcibly shaved their heads and severely beat them with water hoses, inflicting serious injuries. The beatings left the political prisoners, including Mehdi Vafaei Sani and Mir Yousef Younesi, severely injured.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s Regime Pressures Imprisoned Women to Halt Anti\u2013Death Penalty Campaign<\/h3>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Reports from Evin Prison point to a sharp increase in pressure on political detainees, particularly imprisoned women held in the women\u2019s ward.<\/h4>\n

According to these accounts, the prison\u2019s director has issued a new directive banning any participation by female prisoners in the\u00a0\u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays\u201d<\/a>\u00a0campaign and has threatened punitive measures, including transfer to solitary confinement and the suspension of phone calls.<\/p>\n

Following the implementation of this directive in the\u00a0women\u2019s ward<\/a>, any form of protest, hunger strike, or even chanting by prisoners is expected to trigger a severe response. One of the central aims of these new restrictions appears to be halting the \u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays\u201d campaign, an initiative led by political prisoners to protest death sentences and draw public attention to the issue.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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9-Year-Old Girl\u2019s Murder Exposes Iran Regime\u2019s Failure to Protect Children<\/h3>\n

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The mutilated and charred body of 9-year-old girl, identified as Fatemeh Zahra Hosseinbar, was discovered four days after she was abducted in the\u00a0city of Gasht<\/a>, a district of Saravan, in southeastern Iran.<\/p>\n

On Friday, April 17, 2026, the child was reportedly abducted by armed occupants of an unmarked Peugeot vehicle. Her body was later found among piles of garbage on the outskirts of the city, where it had been set on fire.<\/p>\n

On Monday, April 20, residents discovered her remains. According to local sources, both child\u2019s hands had been severed. Due to the severity of the burns, the body was not immediately identifiable. Her identity was confirmed only after her mother was brought to the scene and recognized her through the soles of her feet.<\/p>\n

Fatemeh Zahra Hosseinbar was laid to rest on Tuesday, April 21, in the cemetery of Gasht, Saravan County, in Iran\u2019s Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The funeral drew a large public turnout and was marked by a heavy atmosphere of grief. Streets and roads leading to the cemetery were filled with mourners expressing solidarity with the Hosseinbar family.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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Iran Regime Executions Spark Global Outcry, Expose Judiciary\u2019s Escalating Repression<\/h3>\n

\"Executions<\/p>\n

The Iran regime appeared to calculate that, amid the chaos of war and the distraction of missile strikes, it could quietly carry out the executions of two members of PMOI-linked \u201cResistance Units.\u201d However, the executions of Hamed Validi and Mohammad Masoum-Shahi quickly broke beyond any intended silence, drawing significant international media attention and condemnation.\u00a0Rather than remaining a domestic act of repression, the incident reverberated across major global capitals and leading international news outlets. The scale of coverage transformed what the regime may have intended as a routine act of intimidation into a highly visible episode, placing its judiciary under renewed scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Major outlets\u2014including Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Fox News, NBC News, The Washington Post, Italy\u2019s AGI, and UK-based publications\u2014collectively highlighted the executions, framing them within the broader pattern of the Iran regime\u2019s use of capital punishment during periods of political unrest and conflict.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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When Classrooms Fall Silent: How the Iran Regime\u2019s Crises Are Devouring a Generation\u2019s Right to Education<\/h3>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

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The repeated closure of schools, compounded by the shadow of war imposed by the Iran regime, has drained the country\u2019s education system of resilience. What is unfolding is not a temporary disruption but a systemic crisis\u2014one that is eroding learning outcomes, particularly at the primary level, and inflicting long-term damage on an entire generation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

At the heart of this crisis lies a fundamental deprivation: students are being denied their most basic right\u2014the right to consistent, structured education. With authorities openly acknowledging that there is currently no viable plan to resume in-person schooling, millions of children remain trapped in an educational limbo.<\/p>\n

The regime has attempted to present alternatives\u2014virtual classrooms, televised lessons, and pre-packaged educational materials\u2014as functional substitutes. In practice, these measures have proven deeply inadequate. Chronic weakness in digital infrastructure has made access to online platforms unreliable at best. The widely promoted \u201cShad\u201d system, intended as the backbone of remote education, suffers from server limitations and accessibility issues that render it ineffective for large segments of the population.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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Survival Is Not Victory: The Iran Regime\u2019s Defensive Narrative in a Deepening Crisis<\/h3>\n

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In political and military analysis, one of the most persistent analytical errors is reducing the concept of \u201cvictory\u201d to mere physical survival. Today, the Iran regime appears to be leaning heavily on precisely this simplification\u2014promoting the notion that because it has not been overthrown, it has therefore prevailed.<\/p>\n

This is not an objective assessment of reality. It is a calculated psychological and political instrument designed to preserve internal cohesion\u2014particularly among demoralized elements within the security apparatus, including the Revolutionary Guard and affiliated forces. In essence, it is an attempt to stabilize a shaken system by redefining the terms of success.<\/p>\n

From an analytical standpoint, this approach fits within a broader framework that can be described as \u201ccrisis management through the redefinition of failure.\u201d When a political system faces multiple, overlapping crises\u2014as the Iran regime currently does\u2014it often shifts the metrics by which outcomes are judged. Instead of measuring losses, degradation of capacity, and systemic erosion, mere continuation is reframed as an achievement.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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The German Government Will Not Receive the Son of Iran\u2019s Last Shah<\/h3>\n

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Following reports of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran\u2019s last Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, traveling to Germany to attend a session at the Bundestag (Germany\u2019s federal parliament), the German government announced that it will not receive him and sees no reason to negotiate with him.<\/p>\n

Stefan Kornelius, spokesperson for the German government, said that during the Thursday visit of the son of Iran\u2019s last Shah to Berlin, German government representatives will not receive him, and the German government sees no reason to negotiate with him.<\/p>\n

He added that the German government expects the people of Iran to have the right to freely choose their own leadership.<\/p>\n

Additionally, 21 political figures in Germany addressed a letter to the Bundestag president and the heads of parliamentary factions, expressing serious concern about the visit of the former Shah\u2019s son to Berlin and emphasizing that this trip would be an insult to millions of Iranians who overthrew the Shah\u2019s dictatorship.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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Iran: Violent Transfer of Political Prisoners to the Notorious Ghezel Hesar Prison<\/h3>\n

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On Monday, April 13, seven political prisoners held in Ward 7 of Evin Prison in Tehran were abruptly, violently, and humiliatingly transferred to solitary confinement cells in Unit 3 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, a facility whose name is associated for many families of political prisoners with pressure, isolation, and serious threats to prisoners\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n

Among those transferred are Miryousef Younesi, a 71-year-old political prisoner, and Mehdi Vafaee, a 40-year-old political prisoner. Mehdi Vafaee was arrested in June 2022 and sentenced to 6 years in prison on charges of \u201cassembly and collusion against national security\u201d and \u201cmembership in the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK).\u201d His mother, Shiva Esmaili, is also a political prisoner held in the women\u2019s ward of Evin Prison; she was arrested in February 2023 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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Criminalizing Information Technology in Iran<\/h3>\n

\"High-speed<\/p>\n

In April 2026, the Islamic Republic of Iran, adopting a strictly security-oriented approach, has suppressed the right to access information and freedom of expression in an unprecedented manner. According to a report by the monitoring organization NetBlocks on April 23, the nationwide internet shutdown in Iran has entered its \u201c55th consecutive day.\u201d The report emphasizes that after 1,296 hours, internet connectivity has plummeted to \u201c2% of ordinary levels.\u201d This absolute blackout has created a platform for implementing \u201csecurity elimination\u201d policies under a complete news silence.<\/p>\n

Security agencies are targeting tools for accessing the free internet, effectively treating the right to communicate with the outside world as an act of espionage. According to an ILNA news agency report on April 21, the Information Center of the Greater Tehran Law Enforcement Command announced the discovery and seizure of unauthorized \u201cStarlink\u201d receivers. In its communiqu\u00e9, the police claimed: \u201cInvestigations revealed that the company\u2019s CEO had no knowledge of the suspect\u2019s activities, and the suspect, by exploiting the company\u2019s name, engaged in profit-seeking and maintained continuous communication with foreign entities and hostile networks\u2026 The police emphasize that a significant portion of espionage activities in Tehran are conducted using Starlink devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

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MEK Supporters in Gothenburg Mark the 117th Week of the \u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays\u201d Campaign in Iran<\/h3>\n
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MEK Supporters in Gothenburg Mark the 117th Week of the \u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays\u201d Campaign in Iran<\/div><\/div>
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