{"id":345071,"date":"2026-05-15T07:01:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=345071"},"modified":"2026-05-15T07:01:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:01:03","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-may-15-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-may-15-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 May 15, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gothenburg,
Gothenburg, Sweden \u2014 May 9, 2026 \u2014 Supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) rallied to protest the execution of political prisoners in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 07:30 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018We Do Not Beg for Stolen Rights\u2019: Elite Iranian Student Defies the Regime\u2019s \u201cPardon\u201d From the Shadows of the Gallows<\/h3>\n

\"Iran:<\/p>\n

Amidst a brutal wave of executions designed to terrorize dissidents, elite university student and political prisoner Ali Younesi has released a defiant open letter from Ghezel Hesar Prison, bluntly rejecting the Iranian regime\u2019s offer of a \u201cpardon.\u201d Writing in the direct aftermath of a state-sanctioned massacre that saw the hanging of six of his cellmates\u2014all members of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK)\u2014Younesi\u2019s letter proves the regime\u2019s utter failure to break the spirit of Iran\u2019s political prisoners.<\/p>\n

In his letter, dated May 12, 2026, Younesi turns the tables on the ruling clerics, stating that it is the regime that must seek forgiveness from the grieving people of Iran. The full translation of his letter reads:<\/p>\n

“In response to the Judiciary of the Executioners regarding the pardon of the remaining 7 months of my sentence: I have never asked for a pardon and never will.”<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Regime Continues Political Execution Spree in Fear of Restive Society<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Besieged by relentless domestic and foreign crises, Iran\u2019s regime is carrying out executions on a daily basis. Terrified of another nationwide uprising, the ruling mullahs are desperately utilizing the gallows to instill fear within a deeply restless society that is no longer afraid to confront the state\u2019s apparatus of repression.<\/p>\n

The focal point of this brutal campaign of state terror is the recent execution of courageous protesters who boldly stood up to the regime\u2019s suppressive forces. Early on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the regime hanged 55-year-old rebel Mohammad Abbasi in Ghezel Hesar Prison. Abbasi was arrested during the January uprising in Malard.<\/p>\n

The judiciary accused Abbasi of participating in \u201criotous gatherings\u201d and of involvement in the killing of State Security Force (SSF) Colonel Shahin Dehghan, a criminal figure who played an active role in suppressing the uprising.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran: MP Admits Corruption by Regime Officials Is a Cause of Rising Prices<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Simay Azadi<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 In an interview with the state-run Student News Agency,\u00a0Mohsen Zanganeh, member of the Iranian Parliament\u2019s Budget Committee,\u00a0acknowledged\u00a0in\u00a0an that\u00a0one of the causes of rising prices is the abuse and profiteering by government officials.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cAnother factor behind\u00a0rising\u00a0prices\u00a0is corruption. Many officials who became rich in the\u00a01990s did so because of their activities during the 8-year war. In every political faction, there are people who support and profit from the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zanganeh further added, \u201cAfter the Revolution, many people were\u00a0handed\u00a0control of state-owned companies and board positions. It was clearly a case of systemic exploitation. Even now, in this wartime environment, there are people positioning themselves to become the next generation of \u2018trillionaires.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He also described the war as one of the causes of\u00a0rising prices, adding: \u201c30% of\u00a0the rising\u00a0prices\u00a0are\u00a0due to the nature of war. 35% is due to the inefficiency of government institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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Iranian Student Recounts Prison Abuse: My Brother Was Tortured Before My Eyes<\/h3>\n

\"shabnam-madadzadeh\"<\/p>\n

On May 10, 2026, the\u00a0Daily Mail<\/em>\u00a0published an interview with Iranian student Shabnam Madadzadeh, a former political prisoner, member of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, and human rights activist. The interview was conducted by Eliana Silver, senior foreign news reporter. In this interview, Shabnam Madadzadeh speaks about her experiences in the prisons of the mullahs\u2019 regime and exposes the hidden dimensions of violence, torture, and widespread human rights violations in these prisons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI witnessed unimaginable horrors in Iran\u2019s torture dungeons, including the screams of rape victims. Guards threatened to execute my brother in front of me if I did not sign a false confession.\u201d<\/p>\n

For 70 days, Iranian student Shabnam Madadzadeh lived alone in a cell measuring roughly three metres by two. The room contained almost nothing apart from three blankets, a thin carpet, and a searing fluorescent light overhead that never switched off. Her watch had been confiscated when she arrived, along with every personal belonging she carried, leaving her with no way to tell whether it was day or night.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Political Crossroads: The Final Divide Between Freedom and Dictatorship<\/h3>\n

\"Malm\u00f6,<\/p>\n

After decades of repression, uprisings, and political transformation, Iran\u2019s political landscape is no longer ambiguous. A clear line now separates the forces of democratic pluralism from those seeking to preserve or reproduce authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n

One of the most defining characteristics of Iran\u2019s current political and social reality is that every political force is now undergoing a test of legitimacy \u2014 a test of national authenticity, historical credibility, and political accountability.<\/p>\n

Unlike the 1979 revolution, when the true nature of competing political forces only became apparent after the fall of the monarchy, today Iran stands in an entirely different historical moment. After 47 years of clerical rule, the political identities, intentions, and records of virtually every faction have been exposed before the eyes of the Iranian people. This is especially true after the six major nationwide uprisings of the past three decades, which have profoundly reshaped public consciousness.<\/p>\n

For the younger generation \u2014 the generation that has repeatedly fueled protests and uprisings \u2014 the political map of Iran is no longer blurred. The slogans, behaviors, and strategies of every current have been tested against the realities of repression, corruption, economic collapse, and social suffocation.<\/p>\n

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

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Paris Rally Nears as Iran\u2019s Regime Faces Deepening Crisis and Growing Resistance<\/h3>\n

\"free<\/p>\n

As Iran\u2019s regime struggles with internal instability, economic collapse, and mounting social unrest, the upcoming gathering of the Iranian Resistance in Paris is emerging as a powerful political message of democratic change and organized resistance.<\/p>\n

With less than six weeks remaining before one of the largest annual gatherings organized by the Iranian Resistance in Paris, this year\u2019s event carries significance far beyond a traditional political demonstration.<\/p>\n

The rally comes at a moment when Iran\u2019s regime is confronting one of the most dangerous periods in its history \u2014 a convergence of political deadlock, economic collapse, growing social anger, and intensified internal repression. At the same time, resistance activities inside Iran continue to expand, particularly through the operations attributed to the so-called \u201cResistance Units\u201d affiliated with the\u00a0People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

For supporters of the Iranian Resistance, the Paris gathering is not merely symbolic. It is intended as a declaration that despite decades of executions, imprisonment, demonization campaigns, and international pressure, the movement remains politically active, internationally connected, and deeply engaged with developments inside Iran.<\/p>\n

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

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The Return of SAVAK Symbols: A Dangerous Rehabilitation of Fascism<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The public display of SAVAK insignia in Germany is not a nostalgic political gesture. It is an attempt to normalize the legacy of torture, dictatorship, and authoritarian violence under the guise of monarchist revivalism.<\/p>\n

The shocking display of the SAVAK emblem during a gathering of monarchist supporters in Regensburg, Bavaria, was not merely an act of political provocation or extremist nostalgia. It was a political declaration \u2014 a deliberate attempt to rehabilitate one of the most notorious instruments of repression in modern Iranian history.<\/p>\n

Displaying the symbol of SAVAK, the Shah\u2019s secret police apparatus, in the heart of democratic Europe carries implications far beyond symbolic misconduct. It represents the normalization of torture, the glorification of authoritarian violence, and the whitewashing of crimes committed against generations of Iranians.<\/p>\n

This incident is therefore not only a matter for the Iranian diaspora. It is also a test for democratic societies and the legal principles upon which postwar Europe was built.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Employment Crisis: The Increase in Unemployment Insurance Registrations<\/h3>\n

\"Protest<\/p>\n

The increase in unemployment insurance applicants reflects the chaotic condition of workers following the warmongering policies of the clerical regime. While officials of the Iranian regime speak of managing wartime conditions, statistics published by state-run media and members of parliament present a very different picture of the labor market. The sudden rise in the number of unemployment insurance applicants, the closure of economic units, and the collapse of online jobs are only part of the consequences of war and economic crisis in Iran. Official reports now indicate that hundreds of thousands of people have registered to receive unemployment insurance, statistics that reveal the depth of recession and the expansion of poverty.<\/p>\n

The state-run Eghtesad News website reported on May 12, citing Meysam Zohourian, a member of the regime\u2019s parliament, that since the beginning of the war, around 205,000 people have registered to receive unemployment insurance. Zohourian presented these figures after a meeting with Ahmad Meydari, the regime\u2019s minister of cooperatives, labor, and social welfare.<\/p>\n

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

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Silent Victims in Iran: The Repression of Christian Converts<\/h3>\n

\"Iranian-Christian-Converts-under-pressure\"<\/p>\n

In these days, when awakened humans have cried out against the flagrant violations of human rights in Iran under the rule of the Islamic Republic\u2014and during times when a deafening silence of inaction has enveloped the world in the face of these egregious violations, which amount to crimes against humanity and massacre\u2014we must also remember Christians, the silent victims of this regime. Although internet shutdowns have left little way to obtain up-to-date news regarding Christians imprisoned in the jails of the Islamic Republic, the intensification of the dire human rights situation in Iran\u2014which we have witnessed particularly since the uprising of January 2026, ranging from the killing of protesters to mass arrests accompanied by relentless torture and unprecedented political executions\u2014provides a clear picture of the current state of Christians in prison. This is especially true for women, as being a woman in a system that calls itself the \u201cIslamic Republic\u201d while abusing religion is, in itself, an unforgivable crime.<\/p>\n

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

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MEK Supporters in Kiel Protest Executions, Urge Democratic Republic in Iran<\/h3>\n

Kiel, Germany \u2013 May 13, 2026:<\/strong>\u00a0Supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK<\/span><\/a>) organized a book stall to protest the Iranian regime\u2019s increasing use of executions against political prisoners and protesters. The event demonstrated solidarity with the nationwide \u201cNo to Execution<\/a>\u201d campaign and called for immediate international action to confront the regime\u2019s ongoing human rights abuses. Participants also demanded the unconditional release of all political prisoners.<\/p>\n

The supporters voiced their backing for\u00a0NCRI<\/span><\/a>\u00a0President-elect\u00a0Maryam Rajavi<\/span><\/a>\u2019s \u201cNo to Executions<\/a>\u201d campaign and urged the international community to hold the Iranian authorities accountable for their systematic violations of human rights.<\/p>\n

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MEK Supporters in Kiel Protest Executions, Urge Democratic Republic in Iran #StopExecutionsInIran<\/a> #NCRIAlternative<\/a> #No2ShahNo2Mullahs<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/eeqoQRbJwt<\/a><\/p>\n

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) May 14, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n