These sentences were delivered by Judge Iman Afshari, head of Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, with the charges including “rebellion (baghi), waging war against God (moharebeh), corruption on Earth, and conspiracy against national security.” Both men are accused of being PMOI members, collecting classified information, and conspiring against the regime.
Ehsani, arrested on December 6, 2022, in Tehran, has been subjected to torture at the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention center in Evin Prison. He is currently held in Ward 4 of Evin Prison. Similarly, Hassani, arrested in September 2022 in Zanjan, has endured severe physical and psychological torture in Ward 209 of Evin Prison and is now held in Ward 8.
These sentences come amid heightened repression by the Iranian regime, which has increased its executions since the beginning of the year, particularly targeting political dissidents. This intensification coincides with the anniversary of the 2022 nationwide uprising, a key event that signaled growing unrest against the regime.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) had previously warned about the impending death sentences, calling for urgent international intervention. On April 8, 2024, the NCRI issued a statement alerting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other human rights bodies to the prosecutor’s death sentence request for several political prisoners, including Ehsani and Hassani. The group has called on global human rights organizations to stop these executions and press for the release of all political prisoners.
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, condemned the executions, linking them to the regime’s broader strategy of instilling fear to prevent uprisings. She stressed that the international community’s silence enables the regime to continue its human rights violations with impunity.
In protest, political prisoners in Evin Prison’s Wards 4, 8, and the women’s ward released a joint statement condemning the sentences. “The issuance of such sentences coinciding with the anniversary of the 2022 uprising shows the terror of the mullahs’ regime,” the statement read. They urged Iranians and international human rights defenders to amplify their voices against these sentences and protect the lives of those facing execution.
The NCRI has again appealed to the United Nations, the European Union, and human rights advocates to urgently intervene. They reiterate the need for an international fact-finding mission to investigate the conditions of Iran’s political prisoners and prevent further executions.
