In a brutal attempt to crush dissent, the Iranian regime recently launched a horrific execution spree, hanging six political prisoners and members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in the span of a single week. On March 30 and 31, authorities executed Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, and Pouya Ghobadi. Days later, on April 4, the regime executed Vahid Bani Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer.
These state-sanctioned murders were designed to physically eliminate the regime’s organized opposition and terrorize a restless society into submission. However, this desperate campaign of intimidation has spectacularly backfired. Instead of silencing the opposition, the executions have ignited a fresh wave of defiance across Iran, with PMOI Resistance Units immediately taking to the streets to honor the martyrs and vow to continue their righteous cause.
Defiance in the streets: Resistance Units honor the martyrs
Immediately following the executions, Resistance Units mobilized across major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Karaj, Varamin, Khorram Abad, Bandar Abbas, and Zahedan. On April 3 and 4, activists placed flower wreaths alongside photos of the executed PMOI members.
In Mashhad, Varamin, and Bandar Abbas, the tributes were accompanied by messages declaring, “The path of PMOI martyrs Vahid Bani Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer will continue until the overthrow of the regime.”
April 3,4—Iran
Resistance Units commemorate PMOI members executed by the regime, vow to continue the struggle to overthrow the mullahs' regime and establish a democratic republic. pic.twitter.com/cHCGy31kzJ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 5, 2026
In Zahedan, brave activists displayed placards honoring Babak, Mohammad, Pouya, and Akbar as “symbols of honesty and sacrifice” who “did not surrender in face of torture and pressure.” The youth utilized these public displays to expose the regime’s weakness, holding a sign that read: “The desperate regime of the mullahs, terrified of popular uprisings, is futilely trying to delay the explosion of the people’s fury by executing the best children of Iran.”
They explicitly rejected both past and present dictatorships, echoing the popular slogan: “No to shah, no to mullahs, the people of Iran desire a democratic republic,” and emphasizing that the disgrace of both the shah and the mullahs must be wiped from Iran’s history.
A desperate campaign of state murder
The regime’s state-run media, including the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, attempted to justify the killings by branding the victims as armed “terrorists.” In reality, these individuals were highly educated professionals who dedicated their lives to a free Iran. Babak Alipour, 34, was a law graduate; Pouya Ghobadi, 33, was an electrical engineer; Abolhassan Montazer was a 66-year-old architect; and Vahid Bani Amerian, 33, held a master’s degree in management.
Varamin
Flower wreath with photos of executed PMOI members Vahid Bani Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer with the message: "The units of the National Liberation Army will continue the path of Vahid Bani Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer." pic.twitter.com/yICE2BzT5u— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 5, 2026
Their executions were the culmination of a grossly flawed judicial process devoid of legal legitimacy. Following months of severe physical and psychological torture in Evin Prison’s notorious Ward 209, they were sentenced to death by the criminal judge Iman Afshari. During retrials in November 2025, Afshari ignored defense lawyers’ requests for a joint trial, instead holding separate hearings lasting only a few minutes each.
The cruelty of the ruling establishment was further amplified by horrifying events inside Ghezel Hesar prison. On the night of March 29, anti-riot guards violently raided Ward 4, brutally beating political prisoners, severing all phone lines, and sending at least 19 inmates to solitary confinement just hours before the first wave of hangings began.
A paralyzed regime acting out of fear
The timing of these consecutive hangings exposes a profoundly vulnerable regime paralyzed by the fear of being overthrown. Following massive nationwide uprisings in December 2025 and January 2026 that nearly brought the ruling establishment to its knees, the state only managed to maintain power through the massacre of thousands of protesters.
Now, exploiting the domestic chaos and the fog of war, the clerics are quietly eliminating their most capable adversaries.
Yet, as the courageous actions of the Resistance Units demonstrate, the mullahs’ strategy of intimidation has failed. As one placard in Zahedan boldly proclaimed: “The regime committed this crime in fear of uprisings, but it can’t escape its inevitable overthrow by the people and Resistance.” Every martyr only makes the youth more determined to dismantle the regime and establish freedom in Iran.