Amid an escalating wave of repression and executions in Iran, the case of Masoud Jamei has become one of the most alarming examples of using the death penalty to silence dissenters and political prisoners. As the number of executions across the country continues to rise, death-row prisoners in Qezel-Hesar Prison have put their lives on the line through hunger strikes and the chant of “No to Execution.” Simultaneously, recent political executions demonstrate that the apparatus of repression deploys death sentences not as justice, but as a tool of intimidation and social control. In this climate, saving the life of Masoud Jamei is an urgent humanitarian demand.
Case Profile and the Current Status of the Sentence
Masoud Jamei (Bavi), 50, is a citizen belonging to the Arab minority of Iran from the village of Shakh-Kopal in the suburbs of Ahvaz. He was arrested by security forces on August 1, 2023. Following interrogation, he was transferred to Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz. Masoud Jamei is married, a father of four, and was employed in the oil sector prior to his arrest.
Branch 1 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ehsan Adibimehr, sentenced this political prisoner to a double death sentence and one year of discretionary imprisonment. He was convicted of charges including “Efsad-e Fel-Arz” (Corruption on Earth), “Baghi” (armed rebellion against the state), “assembly and collusion”, and “propaganda against the state.” This verdict was officially communicated to him on July 11, 2025. Subsequently, this severe sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. The integrity of his trial remains heavily compromised by expedited proceedings, deprivation of access to a chosen lawyer, and confessions obtained under duress.
Judicial and Security Pressure on the Jamei Family
The pressure exerted by security agencies on Masoud Jamei’s family extends far beyond his double death sentence; every member of this family has faced heavy sentences and targeted prosecution:
- Zeynab Hazbapour (Hazbeh): The wife of Masoud Jamei was transferred to the women’s ward of Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz in the autumn of 2025 to serve a 15-year prison sentence on charges of “membership in rebel (Baghi) groups.” Her physical health inside prison is reported to be critical.
- Nahid Jamei: The 24-year-old daughter of the family, she was sentenced by the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court to 12 years in prison on charges of “membership in a rebel (Baghi) group.”
- Dalal and Roghayeh Jamei: The family’s two other daughters (aged 20 and 16) have also faced judicial prosecution on charges of “contact with opposition groups.” However, no official information regarding their current status and fate has been released to date.
Severe Medical Deprivation and Lethal Risks in Sheiban Prison
Masoud Jamei’s physical condition is highly critical due to gastric cancer, liver disease, severe hypertension, and acute internal infections. Depriving an ailing prisoner of specialized medical care—especially one facing an imminent death sentence—constitutes a flagrant form of inhumane treatment and silent torture. Prison authorities and the judiciary bear absolute responsibility to immediately grant him access to independent medical examinations, specialized treatment, and medical transfer outside the prison facility.
Torture, Solitary Confinement, and the Fundamental Violation of the Right to Life
The right to life is the most fundamental human right. In the case of Masoud Jamei, sweeping security charges and the reliance on forced confessions create an irreversible risk of the arbitrary deprivation of life. Furthermore, in recent days, Masoud Jamei was transferred to solitary confinement as a punitive measure after chanting protest slogans inside Sheiban Prison. Holding him in the extreme heat of Ahvaz in a cell lacking a cooling system, alongside shaving his head to humiliate him, stands in stark violation of the absolute prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
Urgent Demands and Practical Actions for UN Mechanisms
Joint Urgent Appeal: It is essential that the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, alongside the Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions, torture, and the right to health, immediately issue a joint urgent appeal to the Islamic Republic of Iran, demanding an immediate halt to the execution, immediate access to the case files, and his medical transfer to a specialized hospital outside the prison.
Official Suspension of the Sentence: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights must demand that the Iranian government officially suspend the execution pending an independent review of the case and provide a transparent response regarding his physical health.
Intervention by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: This body must immediately launch an investigation into Massoud Jamei’s and his family’s unfair trial and due process violations.
Public Advocacy by UN Bodies: UN mechanisms must place Masoud Jamei’s name on their urgent action lists and issue public statements to increase the political cost of the execution for the Islamic Republic.
Ensuring Access to Counsel and Family: It is urgent that the United Nations compel Iranian authorities to end the harassment of the family and guarantee regular visits for Masoud Jamei with his lawyer and relatives.
Member State Diplomatic Pressure: It is an imperative that to halt the death sentence and terminate harassment against this family, member states of the Human Rights Council officially demand a stay of execution and summon the ambassadors of the Islamic Republic.
Escalation to International Accountability: Should these demands remain unanswered, international bodies must document Masoud Jamei’s case as a definitive example of political execution, torture, and medical deprivation in official reports, Human Rights Council sessions, and international accountability mechanisms.
Final Conclusion
Today, Masoud Jamei faces not only the imminent threat of execution, but a systematic matrix of severe human rights violations: a contested trial, torture, forced confessions, medical neglect, harassment of his family, and detention under lethal conditions. The extreme urgency of his case lies in the fact that carrying out the death sentence forever eliminates any possibility of future redress. Therefore, the duty of human rights organizations, the Special Rapporteur, and UN mechanisms extends beyond issuing general statements of concern; they must undertake tangible, measurable action through urgent appeals, public statements, demands for an official stay of execution, independent medical tracking, diplomatic leverage, and the registration of the case in accountability frameworks to stop the execution and secure immediate medical treatment for Masoud Jamei.
