At dawn on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the Iranian regime executed 26-year-old law graduate and member of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), Mehdi Khanaki. Following a sham trial, Khanaki was sentenced to death and the confiscation of all his property by the regime’s Revolutionary Court in Karaj on charges of PMOI membership and active participation in the January 2026 protests.
Khanaki had been actively pursued by the regime’s security forces since the massive January 2026 nationwide uprising. He was eventually arrested on February 10, 2026, in Karaj. During his imprisonment, the regime’s executioners subjected him to months of severe physical and psychological torture.
Iran’s criminal regime hanged PMOI member Mehdi Khanaki, a 25-year-old law student, at dawn on Wednesday, July 22.
The regime’s executioners arrested this courageous PMOI member in Karaj on February 10, 2026, and subjected him to brutal torture.
Mizan, the news agency of the… pic.twitter.com/xqTvCYfXEn
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 22, 2026
This brutal treatment is part of a systemic pattern of abuse in Iran, where political prisoners are entirely denied the right to due process. The regime uses restrictive laws, political prosecutions, and the overt interference of security apparatuses to systematically strip citizens of their right to a defense.
To justify the execution, Mizan, the news agency of the regime’s judiciary, claimed that Khanaki possessed “five handguns, 90 rounds of ammunition, and nine magazines,” along with explosive remote controls, homemade grenades, flares, and bomb-making materials. Mizan further claimed that ballistics and expert examinations supposedly proved these weapons “had been used in shootings during the unrest in January 2026.”
State-run media first announced his arrest on February 12, 2026, quoting the Intelligence Organization of the State Security Force (SSF) in Alborz Province. Notably, they refused to mention his name, only referring to the arrest of a member of the “Monafeqin” (the regime’s derogatory term for the PMOI).
The regime’s reluctance to publicly admit his true identity stems from its profound fear of the growing gravitation of Iranian youth toward PMOI Resistance Units.
The Iranian Resistance had actively warned the international community about the grave danger Khanaki faced. On March 1, 2026, the PMOI officially informed the UN Special Rapporteur and international human rights defenders about his arrest and the severe torture he was enduring.
Following the execution, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), strongly condemned the ongoing executions of rebellious youth and freedom fighters. She emphasized that these executions are another “clear sign of the persistent uprising of the Iranian people and their brave children against religious fascism,” reflecting “the regime’s terror of the inevitable explosion of public anger.”
The 26-year-old PMOI freedom fighter, Mehdi Khanaki, was executed this morning by the clerical regime in Iran.
He had been wanted since the January uprising and was arrested on February 10 in Karaj. His arrest and severe torture were reported to the UN Special Rapporteur and… pic.twitter.com/Coa9tGMZxJ— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 22, 2026
Khanaki’s hanging is part of a broader, intensely escalating wave of state violence. Over the past year, the regime’s brutal assault on fundamental rights has intensified, with approximately 2,400 individuals executed. Exploiting the fog of war and recent regional conflicts, Tehran has launched a massive campaign of arrests against dissidents, radically stepping up its political executions.
Dozens of political prisoners, including ten PMOI members and numerous other young activists, have been hanged simply for participating in the January uprising. Adding to the psychological torment of the victims’ families, the regime cruelly refuses to return the bodies of these executed dissidents, leaving loved ones in the dark regarding their final resting places. Meanwhile, the issuance of death sentences against dissidents continues.
These politically motivated executions are systematically designed to breed a climate of fear and terror to prevent the resurgence of popular uprisings. Operating under the distraction of the fog of war, the regime is desperately attempting to mask its own fundamental weakness. Terrified of the looming prospect of another nationwide uprising, the clerical dictatorship is laying the groundwork to carry out another massive purge of political prisoners to maintain its fragile grip on power—a chilling repeat of the horrific 1988 massacre of political prisoners.