Stay of Execution for Behrouz Ehsani; Concerns Over the Execution of Mehdi Hasani

While Behrouz Ehsani's lawyer reports that the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic has issued a stay of execution for his client, the daughter of Mehdi Hasani, another political prisoner sentenced to death, announced that her father is in solitary confinement and his lawyer has not been allowed to read his case file. Following concerns about the potential execution of two political prisoners in Evin Prison, Mustafa Nili, a lawyer, announced on social media that he and another lawyer, Babak Paknia, visited the Supreme Court on Monday, February 8, and learned that a stay of execution for Behrouz Ehsani Islamlu had been issued and would not be carried out until the end of the proceedings. Meanwhile, Mehdi Hasani's daughter also shared several family photos with her father on social media, stating that he and Behrouz Ehsani were transferred to Qazalhasar Prison on Sunday and are at risk of execution. She rejected the accusations against her father, asserting that Mr. Hasani denied the charges in court and is innocent. She called for help from everyone, emphasizing, 'My father could be the father or brother of any one of you.' Previously, Mehdi Hasani's daughter stated that judicial authorities had not allowed his appointed lawyer to read his case file, informing him that 'the file contains highly classified documents.' She also expressed, 'Please be our voice,' stating that her mother was able to have a cabinet meeting with her father today. However, her father remains in solitary confinement, and as long as he is not transferred to the general political ward, our concerns about the imminent execution of my father will not be alleviated. A source related to Evin Prison reported that on Sunday, February 7, judicial authorities took Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani to an unknown location, raising fears about the potential execution of these two political prisoners. According to reports received by the Persian section of Voice of America, Evin Prison officials took Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani out of their wards under the pretext of a medical visit, and hours later, the two political prisoners had still not returned. Behrouz Ehsani Islamlu, 69, and Mehdi Hasani, 48, were sentenced to death in late September this year on charges of 'baghy, moharebeh, and ifsad fil arz' in Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court presided over by Iman Afshari. Other charges attributed to these two prisoners include 'gathering classified information, conspiracy against national security, and membership' in the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. In recent days, Amnesty International has pointed to the 'horrific increase in the number of executions' in Iran and has urged Iranian authorities to immediately revoke the death sentences of these two political prisoners. According to previous reports from human rights sources, at least 54 'political and security' prisoners are currently facing death sentences in Iranian prisons on charges including 'baghy, moharebeh, and ifsad fil arz.' The United States has repeatedly condemned the use of the death penalty by the Iranian government 'to suppress the people' and emphasized continued support for the Iranian people in the face of 'unrelenting human rights violations' by the Islamic Republic.