Statement Condemning the Executions of Behrouz Ehsani, Mehdi Hassani, and the Ongoing Threat to Political Prisoners in Iran
29 July 2025
The Alliance for the Prevention of Atrocity Crimes alongside The Iran Human Rights Monitor and Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) are deeply horrified and unequivocally condemn the executions of political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, carried out by the Iranian regime on July 29, 2025. These individuals were unjustly sentenced to death on the fabricated charge of “waging war on God” solely for their membership in the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). These executions represent a grave violation of human rights and a chilling escalation in the Iranian regime’s campaign to silence dissent through fear, intimidation, and state-sanctioned violence. The international community’s urgent calls to halt these sentences were ignored, underscoring the regime’s blatant disregard for global human rights standards and its own obligations under international law. The charges leveled against Ehsani and Hassani were baseless, rooted not in evidence but in the regime’s ongoing efforts to criminalize political opposition and eradicate voices of resistance. Such actions are a stark reminder of the regime’s history of brutality, most notably the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners—a tragedy that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ affiliated outlet, Fars News, chillingly praised in a July 7, 2025, editorial as a “successful historical experience.” This editorial’s explicit call for similar mass executions against current detainees is an alarming signal of the regime’s intent to repeat its atrocities. Today, scores of political prisoners remain on death row in Iran, with at least 14 facing charges identical to those used to justify the executions of Ehsani and Hassani. These individuals are at imminent risk, their lives hanging in the balance as the regime intensifies its crackdown on dissent.
The warning issued by Ambassador Stephen Rapp in his recent Washington Post op-ed, “The next Iranian massacre is unfolding in plain sight,” [1] could not be more urgent. The international community’s silence or inaction in the face of this escalating crisis risks emboldening the regime to carry out further executions and perpetuate a new wave of mass atrocities. We call upon the United Nations, its member states, and all defenders of human rights to take immediate and decisive action to prevent further loss of life.
Specifically, we urge UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and UN Secretary-General António Guterres to:
- Issue a clear and unequivocal statement denouncing the executions of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, as well as the broader pattern of politically motivated executions in Iran.
- Press the Iranian regime to suspend all pending death sentences for political prisoners and abolish the use of vague and abusive charges like “waging war on God.”
- Deploy a fact-finding mission to investigate the treatment of political prisoners in Iran, including conditions in detention facilities and the judicial processes leading to their sentencing.
- Advocate for international mechanisms to hold Iranian officials accountable for human rights violations, including those responsible for the 1988 massacre and ongoing executions.
- Demand that Iran grant immediate access to UN monitors and international human rights organizations to assess the situation of political prisoners and ensure compliance with international standards.
The global community cannot stand idly by as Iran’s regime perpetuates a cycle of violence and impunity. The lives of countless political prisoners hang in the balance, and every moment of delay risks further tragedy. We implore the United Nations and world leaders to act with urgency and resolve to protect the fundamental rights and lives of those targeted for their beliefs and affiliations.
History will judge us by our response to this crisis. Let it not record our silence in the face of such grave injustice.
A copy of this statement and letter has been sent to UN High Commissioner Volker Türk and UN Secretary-General António Guterres to demand immediate intervention.
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/24/iran-mass-executions-global-response/
https://preventingac.org/blog/f/statement-on-the-executions-of-behrouz-ehsani-and-mehdi-hassan
Statement Condemning the Executions-29July2025
