In a heinous act of state-sanctioned murder, the clerical regime in Iran has once again revealed its barbaric nature. On the morning of July 27, 2025, the regime’s henchmen executed political prisoners and members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani. This calculated act of terror, aimed at intimidating a restless and defiant population, has ignited a firestorm of international condemnation. Far from projecting strength, these executions have exposed the profound weakness and fear of a regime that sees its own demise in the courage of its political prisoners.
The world condemns
The regime’s crime was met with immediate and widespread outrage from human rights organizations, parliamentarians, and senior political figures across the globe, who united to denounce the killings and the corrupt judicial process behind them.
Human rights groups expose a sham process
Leading human rights organizations were unequivocal in their condemnation. Amnesty International exposed the executions as “arbitrary,” noting they were carried out in secret after a “grossly unfair trial.” Kristine Beckerle, the group’s Deputy Regional Director, revealed that the victims were “denied access to their lawyers for nearly two years before a trial that lasted only five minutes and during which they were not allowed to speak in their own defense.” She confirmed that forced “confessions” extracted through beatings and threats were used as evidence.
Behrouz Ehsani & Mehdi Hassani were executed arbitrarily amid Iran’s horrific execution crisis. Their executions highlight the authorities’ use of the death penalty as a tool of repression in times of national crisis to crush dissent and spread fear. https://t.co/5voGrM7Org
— Amnesty Iran (@AmnestyIran) July 28, 2025
Index on Censorship echoed this, condemning the “secret executions… carried out after grossly unfair trials.” Amnesty also linked the killings to a broader strategy, stating, “The Iranian authorities have intensified repression at home following the latest escalation of hostilities with Israel in June,” using the death penalty as a “tool of political repression… to crush dissent and spread fear.”
We condemn the secret executions of political dissidents Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, carried out after grossly unfair trials. These killings reflect deepening repression in Iran since the war with Israel. Many others remain at imminent risk. The world must not look away. pic.twitter.com/cphJt4DxkJ
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) July 30, 2025
European lawmakers denounce regime’s barbarism
Across Europe, lawmakers expressed their shock and disgust. Many had personally advocated for the prisoners, shining a light on the regime’s injustice. MEP Veronika Vrecionová, who served as a “symbolic patron” for Ehsani and Hassani, lamented, “Not even an open call by the entire European Parliament could move the mullahs in Tehran.”
At dawn this morning, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani were executed in Iran. They were charged with the bogus crime of 'waging war on God' for membership in the PMOI (MEK).
We (me personally as well -look for this dramatic picture !) supported them from the EP. Even a resolution… pic.twitter.com/SL2gVgve7P— Ryszard Czarnecki (@r_czarnecki) July 27, 2025
Ryszard Czarnecki, a Polish MEP, stated they were executed for the “bogus crime of ‘waging war on God’ for membership in the PMOI (MEK).” His Dutch colleague Dorien Rookmaker went further, declaring the executions “premeditated murder” and calling for the regime’s leaders to be held accountable at the International Criminal Court.
The Mullahs of the regime in Iran will be rather sooner than later (@ICC) held accountable for the numerous innocent victims they made. This is premeditated murder. https://t.co/reamtVFYSm
— Dorien Rookmaker (@RookmakerDorien) July 27, 2025
US and UK figures rebuke the regime’s terror
The condemnation was just as forceful from prominent figures in the United States and the United Kingdom. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the victims as “pro-democracy activists — freedom fighters who endured years of torture at the hands of this evil regime.” He added, “This barbaric act shows just how much Khamenei and his cronies fear their own people.”
Yesterday, the Iranian government executed two pro-democracy activists — freedom fighters who endured years of torture at the hands of this evil regime.
This barbaric act shows just how much Khamenei and his cronies fear their own people. The world must stand against this…
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) July 28, 2025
US Congressman Randy Weber called the executions part of the regime’s “ongoing campaign of terror against dissent” and stressed that the “Iranian people and their struggle for freedom… must be supported!”
We condemn the execution of political prisoners Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani-Eslamloo, members of the MEK, who were hanged in Tehran on July 27, 2025. Their execution is part of the Iranian regime’s ongoing campaign of terror against dissent. The Iranian people and their…
— Randy Weber (@TXRandy14) July 28, 2025
In the UK, Lord David Alton, who had recently warned of this danger in Parliament, urged his government to “urgently make clear the UK’s condemnation of such barbarism.”
Earlier this week @UKParliament I warned that Iran’s dictatorship was continuing its systematic execution of opponents. Today this tragic news was confirmed. @DavidLammy should urgently make clear the UK’s condemnation of such barbarism. @HFalconerMP @JavaidRehman @BobBlackman https://t.co/mdxkKCpVxf
— Lord (David) Alton (@DavidAltonHL) July 27, 2025
The victims’ unbroken spirit and a call for action
Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, a 48-year-old father of three, were not merely victims. They were symbols of the enduring spirit of resistance. Even from behind bars, they protested the regime’s cruelty by participating in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strike campaign for 18 months. Their commitment was unshakable. After his death sentence was confirmed, Behrouz Ehsani sent out a powerful message that will echo in Iran’s history: “I will not bargain with anyone over my life and am ready to sacrifice my life for the cause of the liberation of the Iranian people.”
These murders are the latest atrocities in a horrifying wave of state-sanctioned killings under the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian. Since he took office in August 2024, the regime has executed over 1,400 people. The international community’s pleas fell on deaf ears. It is long past time for the world to move beyond condemnation and take concrete, punitive actions to hold the criminal leaders of this regime accountable for their continuous crimes against humanity.