In a defiant statement issued from Evin Prison, political prisoner Behrouz Ehsani, who has been sentenced to death, declared that he will not negotiate for his life, reaffirming his commitment to his principles. Ehsani, 69, is one of two prisoners condemned to death by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. Alongside Mehdi Hassani, Ehsani was convicted on charges of “enmity against God” (Moharebeh), “corruption on earth” (Efsad-e Fel-Arz), and membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), among other accusations. Their lawyer was recently informed of the verdict.
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence arrested Ehsani in November 2022 during the widespread protests and has since spent nearly two years in detention. Reflecting on the judgment, Ehsani voiced his readiness to sacrifice his life for the liberation of the Iranian people, underscoring that his sentence is consistent with the regime’s ongoing use of execution as a tool of repression.
The message, shared through human rights channels, aligns with the broader movement against capital punishment in Iran. Ehsani revealed that he and other prisoners have been participating in the Tuesdays “No to Executions” hunger strike, which has continued for 34 weeks, alongside 21 other prisons across the country. Their strike will persist, he stated, “as long as heads continue to hang from the gallows.”
In his final words, Ehsani condemned the regime’s extensive use of execution, not only targeting political prisoners but also ordinary inmates, whom he described as victims of the same oppressive system. He called on the international community and human rights organizations to take immediate action against Iran’s execution policies, warning that tomorrow may be too late. He urged global solidarity with the anti-execution hunger strikes, emphasizing that those seeking freedom and democracy in Iran do not deserve such brutal repression.
Ehsani’s message concluded with a salute to the over 700 protesters killed during the November 2022 uprising, paying tribute to their memory. He called on the world to end its silence and complicity with the Iranian regime, declaring that the time for appeasement is over.
The execution order comes just ahead of the second anniversary of the 2022 protests, during which Ehsani was arrested. The demonstrations, triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody, spread nationwide and were met with a violent crackdown, leading to hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests.
Message from Behrouz Ehsani:
To the brave and honorable people of Iran,
I, Behrouz Ehsani, currently imprisoned in Evin’s Ward 4, was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence in November 2022 and spent over three months in solitary confinement under the supervision of Section 209 before being transferred to Ward 4. After 22 months of uncertainty, I have now been sentenced to death without any substantial evidence. This is what one expects from a regime that thrives on executions. As I told my interrogators, echoing the martyr Khosrow Golsorkhi, I will not bargain for my life, especially not at the age of 70. I am not concerned with the 10% of my life that remains; I am prepared to offer my insignificant life for the liberation of the people of Iran.
Our sentence was announced on the second anniversary of the 2022 uprising. I salute the pure souls of the more than 700 martyrs of that great uprising. This bloodthirsty regime is sustained by repression and executions. Not only political prisoners but ordinary prisoners too are executed daily. They are victims of the same system, suffering under the same conditions.
We have completed the 34th week of our “No to Executions” Tuesday hunger strike, alongside 21 other prisons nationwide. We will continue our hunger strikes until the day no more heads are raised to the gallows.
I call on my compatriots, international organizations, and human rights institutions to act against executions in Iran today, for tomorrow will be too late. Join us in our Tuesday protests against executions. A nation that desires freedom and a democratic republic does not deserve executions. The global community’s silence emboldens this regime to carry out more executions. The time for appeasement is over.
With respect to all martyrs of the freedom movement and with honor to Iran and Iranians.
Behrouz Ehsani – Evin Prison, September 18, 2024
