UN Experts: Execution Orders for Behrouz Ehsani and Mahdi Hasani Should Be Halted

On Tuesday, March 7, UN experts urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to halt the execution orders for Behrouz Ehsani-Islamlu and Mahdi Hasani, two political prisoners. In a statement on their social media account, the experts emphasized that Mr. Ehsani-Islamlu and Mr. Hasani were sentenced to death following trials marred by torture and forced confessions, which were confirmed by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The UN experts also stated that they are in contact with Iranian government officials regarding this matter. Previously, the Iran Human Rights Organization expressed serious concerns over the rejection of the request for retrial for Behrouz Ehsani-Islamlu and Mahdi Hasani, two political prisoners, and the likelihood of their execution, describing the issuance and enforcement of death sentences as part of the Islamic Republic of Iran's "policy of intimidation." This human rights organization called on Iranian civil society, human rights defenders, and the global community to intensify their efforts to abolish death sentences for political prisoners and stop executions in Iran. These two political prisoners have been sentenced to death on charges such as "waging war against God, corruption on earth," "membership" in the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, "gathering classified information," and "conspiracy against national security." Furthermore, the 39th branch of the Supreme Court had previously announced the rejection of the retrial request for Behrouz Ehsani-Islamlu and Mahdi Hasani. Maryam Hasani, daughter of Mahdi Hasani, told the Persian section of Voice of America that the Supreme Court's ruling is "completely against legal standards" and pointed out that "my father was unable to have access to his chosen lawyer for two and a half years. Moreover, my father has not yet been informed of the charges; his last defense has not been taken, and there is no evidence regarding the charges against him." Mahdi Hasani, born in 1976 in Zanjan, was arrested on September 11, 2022, and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. This political prisoner was sentenced to death in late September of this year by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran. This sentence had been halted following the acceptance of a retrial request by his defense lawyer in the Supreme Court. Behrouz Ehsani-Islamlu, a 70-year-old political prisoner, was arrested at his home by Iranian government forces during widespread protests in November 2022 and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Intelligence. He was moved to Ward 4 of Evin three and a half months later and, after 22 months of uncertainty, was sentenced to death in late September 2024. In a letter sent from prison a while ago, Mr. Ehsani wrote: "After 22 months of uncertainty, a death sentence was issued against me without evidence. Nothing less is expected from this executioner regime." Amnesty International issued an official statement in December of this year calling for the immediate halt of the execution orders for Mahdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani-Islamlu. The "Tuesdays No to Execution" campaign, consisting of prisoners from 34 prisons in Iran, announced in its fifty-seventh statement that the Islamic Republic government has begun a new wave of executions following the end of government ceremonies in February. In this statement, a copy of which was obtained by Voice of America, it was mentioned that only in the first two days of March, 17 prisoners were executed in the country, of which 10 were hanged in Qazalhasar Prison in Karaj. On Friday, February 22, the Iran Human Rights Organization and the French group "Solidarity Against the Death Penalty" announced that the Iranian government executed at least 975 people in 2024; a figure that these two organizations claim is the highest since 2008. The Iran Human Rights Organization also reported that in 2024, at least 31 people were executed on charges related to national security, compared to 39 in 2023. The mother of Reza Rasayi called for an end to death sentences on his birthday. The Iran Human Rights Campaign reported that three female political prisoners are at serious risk of execution. A human rights organization stated that at least 13 protesters from 2022 are at risk of execution. A warning was issued regarding a new wave of executions: 17 executions in two days. Prison officials in Yazd are preventing the treatment of Zeynab Jalalian. The International Transport Workers' Federation stated that Madadi and Razavi are unjustly imprisoned. Ibrahim Khosheh and five others were executed in connection with murder and drug offenses. Javid Rahman stated that the crimes of the Islamic Republic of Iran against humanity have been documented.