Saeed Masouri, Political Prisoner: The Government Has Placed a Noose Around the People's Neck

Saeed Masouri, one of the oldest political prisoners in Iran, in a letter obtained by Voice of America, has called for member countries of the organization to condition their political and diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic on the cessation of death sentences. In this letter, which he wrote 'on the anniversary of the opening of the gates of the Auschwitz death camp,' addressed to Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, he points out that Iranians have been striving to stop the regime's execution machine through street protests, strikes, petitions, carrying placards, and sending letters and complaints to all possible authorities. He writes: 'The government has placed a noose around the neck of all the people of Iran because it sees its survival in the execution of each and every Iranian.' This political prisoner emphasized that if the Islamic Republic is not afraid of 'international accountability,' to maintain power, it will 'knock the stool from under the people.' This letter specifically refers to the death sentences of two political prisoners named Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani. Behrouz Ehsani Islamloo, 69, and Mehdi Hasani, 48, were sentenced to death in late September this year on charges of 'baghi, moharebeh, and ifsad fil-arz' in Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court presided over by Iman Afshari. Additionally, 'gathering classified information, and conspiracy against national security, and membership' in the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran are other charges attributed to these two prisoners. Following concerns about the potential execution of these two political prisoners in Evin, Mustafa Nili, a lawyer, stated on the social media platform X on February 8 that an order to halt the execution of Behrouz Ehsani Islamloo has been issued and will not be executed until the end of the proceedings. Simultaneously, the daughter of Mehdi Hasani, another political prisoner sentenced to death, wrote on X that her father, along with Behrouz Ehsani, has been transferred to Qazalhasar prison and is at risk of execution. Saeed Masouri, in his letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, questions how two political prisoners can simultaneously be accused of 'baghi' and 'moharebeh' and also be labeled 'mofsed fil-arz.' He writes: 'How can it be that in a case, no murder has occurred, no victim exists, no plaintiff or complaint has been filed, no blood has been shed, and no heir or claimant for retribution is present, yet these two prisoners are still deemed deserving of execution?' This political prisoner states that the regime's goal behind death sentences is 'to create terror and horror' and 'to cleanse and continue the massacre of people in the streets.' Saeed Masouri, one of Iran's oldest political prisoners and a member of the 'No to Execution Tuesdays' campaign, was sentenced to death in 2002 by the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of moharebeh, but his death sentence was eventually commuted to life imprisonment. Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to whom Mr. Masouri addressed this letter, expressed deep concern on January 8 regarding the increase in executions in Iran and criticized the significant rise in this punishment in the past year. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently reported that the Islamic Republic executed at least 901 people in 2024. The number of executions in Iran in 2023 was reported to be at least 853.