On the morning of Sunday, January 26, 2025, Iranian authorities forcibly transferred political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, both sentenced to death, from Evin Prison to Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. The move raises fears of their imminent execution, as death sentences are often carried out in Qezel Hesar.
Ehsani, 70, and Hassani, 48, were convicted on September 16, 2024, by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court under the presiding judge Iman Afshari. The charges included “enmity against God” (moharebeh), “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz), membership in the banned People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), conspiracy against national security, and illegal possession of firearms. Their sentences were upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court on January 7, 2025.
Protests Erupt in Evin Prison
News of their sudden transfer triggered protests among inmates in Ward 4 of Evin Prison. Prisoners chanted slogans such as “This is the final message; if you execute, there will be an uprising,” and “Death to the dictator.” Their chants underscored the growing defiance within Iran’s prisons, where political prisoners frequently resist the regime’s harsh measures.
Background on the Prisoners
Behrouz Ehsani, a political prisoner during the 1980s, was arrested again on December 6, 2022, in Tehran and later transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, where he was subjected to torture. In a message to the Iranian people after receiving his death sentence, Ehsani declared, “This execution-driven regime cannot offer anything else. I will not bargain over my life with anyone and am ready to sacrifice my insignificant life for the liberation of the Iranian people.”
Mehdi Hassani, a father of three, was arrested in Zanjan on September 11, 2024, and also endured torture in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
International Condemnation
Amnesty International issued urgent appeals on January 16 and January 23, 2025, calling for the immediate cancellation of the death sentences. Amnesty highlighted the grossly unfair trial and noted that both men had been subjected to torture, including prolonged solitary confinement, to extract forced confessions. The organization stated, “These sentences are a grave violation of international human rights law and must be annulled immediately.”
The European Parliament also condemned the Iranian regime’s human rights abuses in a resolution passed on January 23, 2025. The resolution called for the release of political prisoners, the abolition of the death penalty, and expanded EU sanctions against Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i.
The international community, including human rights organizations and foreign governments, is being urged to take immediate action to halt the executions and pressure the Iranian regime to uphold human rights standards. With the transfer of Ehsani and Hassani to Qezel Hesar Prison, time is running out to prevent a further escalation of human rights violations in Iran.
