Iran Sieged by Human Rights Violations: A War Beyond Foreign Conflict

The Islamic Republic is not only executing political dissidents and protesters under the guise of “war” and behind the curtain of a “global internet blackout,” but by continuously expanding the scope of its atrocities, it has effectively placed the entire nation in a horrific chokehold. This deep crisis demonstrates that today, more than ever, Iran is sieged by human rights violations.

The Executions

Since March 19, 2026, at least 31 political executions have been carried out in Iran under the rule of the Islamic Republic. The victims include protesters from the 2025 uprising, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), and individuals falsely accused of espionage under the shadow of war. However, the scope of this human rights siege has extended far into the broader society and deep within prison walls, where it continues to intensify.

Political Executions Table since March 19, 2026

The Repressive Dictates of Judiciary Chief Eje’i

Over three consecutive days, from May 7 to May 9, 2026, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the Chief Justice of the Islamic Republic, personally intervened to accelerate the machinery of suppression by issuing severe directives. His remarks, broadcast by the state’s official news agency (IRNA), illustrate the depths to which Iran has sunk under this human rights siege:

• May 7: “The insidious elements acting as the enemy’s infantry, who deliberately seek to undermine national unity and play into the enemy’s hands, will be dealt with within the framework of legal norms.”
• May 8: “We will resolutely try and punish traitors to the homeland in accordance with the law, and we harbor no fear of blame from critics… We fully back our dedicated security and intelligence forces, alongside all law enforcement officers, in pursuing and arresting spies, infiltrators, and traitors.”
• May 9: “Anyone who aligns or sympathizes in any manner with the aggressive, rapacious, and child-killing enemy is not merely a dissident or a counter-revolutionary, but an anti-Iran traitor. The Judiciary will process the cases of these elements through expedited, extraordinary procedures.”

Ahmad-Reza Radan: Chief of State Security Forces and the Enforcement Arm of Purges

On Sunday, May 17, 2026, state television quoted Ahmad-Reza Radan, the notorious commander of the Law Enforcement Forces (FARAJA), bragging about the “arrest of over 500 enemy agents since the onset of the Third Imposed War.” However, Radan inadvertently exposed the true scale of the dragnet in his subsequent remarks:

“Since the beginning of the war, over 6,500 individuals have been arrested. Among them, 567 were classified as ‘special cases’ tied to Nefagh (MEK) networks, insurrections, and so-called counter-revolutionary grouplets. This process remains ongoing. We have not abandoned our pursuit of the January rioters; we are continuing to track and arrest them.” (ILNA – May 18, 2026)

Publicly announcing the detention of over 6,500 citizens and labeling 567 of them as “special cases” or “enemy agents” prior to any judicial process flagrantly violates the foundational legal doctrine of the presumption of innocence. These assertions violate Article 37 of the Islamic Republic’s own Constitution, which dictates that no individual shall be deemed guilty prior to a definitive conviction by a competent court. Furthermore, Radan’s admission regarding the relentless tracking of January protesters highlights systematic arbitrary detentions, violating Article 32 of their own legal statutes. This dragnet confirms that the entirety of Iran is sieged by human rights violations.

The Noose of siege Tightens Within the Prisons

Following the public threats issued by Eje’i and Radan, the crackdown within detention facilities has rapidly intensified:

Death Sentences

• Ali Pishevarzadeh: A 28-year-old political prisoner detained during the January 2026 protests in Rasht. He was sentenced to death on charges of Moharebeh (enmity against God) by a branch of the Rasht Revolutionary Court. During his interrogation phase, he was subjected to severe pressure and torture to extract forced confessions and was completely denied access to independent legal counsel or a transparent trial.

• Raouf Sheikh-Maroofi (24) and Mohammad Faraji (23): Two political prisoners from Bukan, arrested during the 2022 protests. Following three years of arbitrary detention and legal limbo in the central prison of the city, they were sentenced to death on charges of Moharebeh and Mofsed-fel-Arz (corruption on Earth) by Branch 1 of the Mahabad Revolutionary Court. The verdicts were officially served to them on February 24, 2026.

State-Sanctioned Murder Under Torture

• Hesam Alaedin: A 40-year-old citizen in Tehran. Following a violent raid on his residence and his subsequent arrest, he was subjected to brutal and fatal physical assaults by security operatives during his initial interrogation, dying on the spot.

Torture and Judicial Frame-ups

• Rashid Mazaheri: The former goalkeeper for the Iranian National Football Team. He was arrested following critical social media posts targeting Ali Khamenei and condemning the January 2026 crackdowns. He has been transferred to solitary confinement in Urmia Central Prison. On May 19, 2026, his wife, Maryam Abdollahi, confirmed he is being held under severe psychological and physical duress.
• Hossein Jafari: A political prisoner who lost sight in one eye due to shotgun pellets fired by security forces during the 2022 nationwide protests. After months in the Aminabad psychiatric facility, he was re-arrested and moved to Ghezel Hesar Prison—a move that has severely escalated concerns over his physical and mental health. Sources report that during his previous detention; his condition was so dire that he was officially granted a medical waiver for “intolerance of imprisonment.” Despite this, he was re-detained and held for a period within the execution suites of Kerman Prison.
• Shiller Mam-Qaderi: A 34-year-old Kurdish woman arbitrarily detained for over 43 days. She was subjected to severe physical torture in the detention center, resulting in internal bleeding and fractures that required emergency surgery under guard. Despite incomplete treatment and an urgent need for medical oversight, security forces returned her to Urmia Prison, where she remains barred from seeing her children.
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  Shiller Mam-Qaderi

   

• Arshia Gheysarbeigi: Son of Farzad, violently abducted from his home without a warrant on May 5, 2026. The assault during his arrest left him with a fractured jaw, a broken nose, and shattered teeth. He is being held in solitary confinement under severe torture, facing capital charges of “Enmity against God’ and “Corruption on Earth”. Interrogations of this young man from Ilam remain ongoing, and he is being held under severe pressure in solitary confinement. His physical condition following torture and assault has been reported as dire, and concerns regarding his health continue to escalate.

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  Shahin Zoghitabar: A political prisoner held in Evin Prison. He was hauled before the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, under a newly fabricated dossier, where he faced explicit threats of receiving the “maximum penalty” (execution).



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  Danial Niazi: An 18-year-old protester whose objection to his temporary detention order was rejected by Branch 103 of the Shirwan Criminal Court. He faces Moharebeh charges based entirely on confessions extracted under duress without access to a defense lawyer.

Persecution of Victims’ Families

• Roozbeh Alipour: A political prisoner and brother of the recently executed political dissident Babak Alipour—remains held in limbo under severe physical and psychological duress at Karaj’s Ghezel Hesar Prison. Reports indicate that following his violent arrest by Ministry of Intelligence agents, during which he endured months of torture and medical deprivation, Alipour has been transferred to Unit 3’s solitary confinement wing, notoriously known as the ‘Security Ward’. This comes amid recent chilling accounts of inmates being brutally beaten within this specific ward. Denied essential medical care, regular family contact, and the most fundamental rights of a detainee, his life now hangs in the balance under these critical conditions.”
• Om-ol-Banin Dehghan (63, mother of Babak Alipour) and Maryam Alipour (his sister): Held indefinitely without formal transparency or proper processing at Qarchak Prison in Varamin for months.
• Akram and Azam Daneshvarkar: Sisters of Akbar Daneshvarkar (who was executed on March 30, 2026). They were arrested on April 18, 2026, while attempting to retrieve their brother’s body from Ghezel Hesar, forensics, and the judiciary. To terrorize other families, the judiciary fabricated a dossier against them charging them with “assembly and collusion against domestic security,” transferring them directly to Qarchak Prison.
• The Hostage-Taking of Arashk Gheysarbeigi (Precedent of Persecution): Structural pressure on this family is not a recent development. In an attempt to force Arshia Gheysarbeigi to surrender, security forces took his young child brother, Arashk Gheysarbeigi, hostage on June 29, 2023. Intelligence operatives explicitly told the family that the child would remain in captivity until Arshia turned himself in—systematic purges that ultimately culminated in Arshia’s violent abduction in May 2026.

These names represent a fraction of a far broader crisis. In the structure ruling Iran, the judiciary does not function as an instrument of justice, but as an auxiliary arm for state terror, structural repression, and the intimidation of society.

The Accountability of the International Community Regarding the Siege of Iran

The international community cannot content itself with mere verbal rebukes in the face of the systematic, widespread, and continuous human rights violations in Iran. The responsibility of democratic states and international bodies dictates documenting these crimes, pursuing legal accountability for the perpetrators within international tribunals, and applying severe diplomatic and political pressure to shatter this culture of impunity.

Silence and inaction in the face of executions, torture, and the persecution of grieving families serve only to legitimize the regime’s machinery of violence. The global community is under a binding obligation to take immediate, coordinated steps to uphold the core tenets of human rights and liberate an Iran sieged by human rights violations.