Hussain Hazbavi 
A total of 309 prominent legal experts, human rights defenders, and civil society organizations—including several Nobel Peace Prize laureates—have signed a joint statement urging the United Nations to take immediate action to stop Iran’s accelerating campaign of executions targeting political prisoners.
The statement specifically condemned the upholding of death sentences against political activists Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, who remain at imminent risk of execution in Iran. Signatories described the wave of political executions as part of a systematic state-led effort to crush dissent.
The signatories argue that Iran’s political prisoners are being targeted through a deliberate pattern of repression, rooted in a long-standing culture of impunity. “This impunity stems from the international community’s repeated failure to hold Iranian officials accountable for past crimes,” the statement reads. “Not only have the perpetrators avoided justice, but many have been rewarded with promotions within Iran’s judiciary, government, and security apparatus.”
Ehsani and Hassani were arrested in November 2021 and February 2022, respectively. In late September 2024, both were sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. The charges include alleged membership in the opposition group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), promoting its views, and producing media content for the group—accusations the regime labels as “moharebeh” (waging war against God) and “baghi” (armed rebellion). A request for retrial was denied.
The statement stressed that the activists’ trial lacked basic standards of due process and was essentially a show trial. It also warned that dozens of other political prisoners in Iran are facing similar death sentences after trials widely seen as grossly unjust.
The alarming spike in executions coincides with the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian. According to the statement, Iran has carried out more than 1,000 executions in the past ten months alone, making it one of the most execution-heavy periods in recent years.
The signatories called on the international community to impose targeted sanctions on Iranian officials responsible for human rights abuses and to make the abolition of the death penalty and the release of political prisoners a prerequisite for any diplomatic engagement with the Iranian regime.
Among the high-profile signatories are:
Oscar Arias Sánchez, former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1987) Jody Williams, prominent human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1997) Oleksandra Matviichuk, Ukrainian human rights lawyer and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and South African jurist
