Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani, 'Two Supporters of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Sentenced to Death'

According to human rights media, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani, political prisoners held in Evin Prison and supporters of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, have been sentenced to death on charges including 'rebellion and waging war against God.' According to the websites HRANA and Hengaw, this sentence was issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. The charges against these two prisoners had previously been announced as 'membership in the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, waging war, rebellion, corruption on earth, collecting classified information, and conspiracy against national security.' The news of the death sentence for these two prisoners was first published on Wednesday by the 'National Council of Resistance' and the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, which stated that these sentences were recently communicated to their lawyers. Reports indicate that Mehdi Hasani, 52, was arrested in Zanjan while attempting to leave the country in September 2022, and Behrouz Ehsani, 64, was arrested at his home in Tehran in December of the same year. No information has been released about the judicial process for these political prisoners, and according to HRANA, they have been left in limbo and in a state of uncertainty in Evin Prison for months. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic has not yet made any official statement regarding the issuance of the death sentence for these two political prisoners. About two weeks ago, UN human rights experts warned about the significant increase in the number of executions in Iran and called for an immediate halt to these sentences. According to these experts, the number of executions in Iran in August (the previous month) more than doubled compared to the month before, reaching at least 93. Opposition to the death penalty has long been growing in Iran, and several political and ideological prisoners in the prisons of the Islamic Republic have initiated a weekly program titled 'Black Tuesdays: No to Execution' for months. A large number of human rights organizations have expressed support for this campaign, and most recently, 68 human rights organizations issued a joint statement calling for international community support for this campaign. According to a report by Amnesty International, at least 850 executions were recorded in Iran last year, marking a 48% increase compared to the previous year. The Islamic Republic is among the countries with the highest per capita execution rates in the world, and the reported statistics only pertain to executions that human rights organizations have been able to document. According to these organizations, the Islamic Republic uses the death penalty as a tool for political repression, and death sentences are issued in courts that do not adhere to the minimum standards of judicial process.