Following the massive nationwide uprisings in December 2025 and January 2026 that brought the clerical regime to its knees, the ruling establishment has rapidly accelerated its campaign of state-sanctioned terror against dissidents.
Driven by profound weakness and desperate to maintain its hold on power following the death of Ali Khamenei and the installation of his son Mojtaba on March 9, 2026, the regime has increasingly used the gallows to physically eliminate its organized opposition.
In a heinous act of state murder between March 30 and April 4, 2026, authorities hanged six political prisoners and members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). While the regime attempted to quietly execute these dissidents, shocking newly obtained information from inside Ghezel Hesar Prison reveals the brutal deceit of the midnight raid that led to their deaths, as well as the extraordinary defiance of the martyrs in their final moments.
Who were the six heroes?
The six PMOI members executed were Vahid Bani Amerian, Abolhassan Montazer, Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, and Pouya Ghobadi. Branded as “terrorists” by the regime, these men were highly educated professionals and veteran political prisoners who dedicated their lives to liberating their country.
Abolhassan Montazer, 66, was an architect, and Mohammad Taghavi, 59, was a veteran prisoner from the 1980s and 1990s. Vahid Bani Amerian, 33, held a master’s degree in management; Babak Alipour, 34, was a law graduate; Pouya Ghobadi, 33, was an electrical engineer; and Akbar Daneshvarkar, 59, was a civil engineer.
Following months of severe physical and psychological torture in Evin Prison’s notorious Ward 209, these men released a joint statement in December 2024 declaring they would not bargain with their lives. They emphasized finding “no recourse for justice other than the oppressed people of Iran, the brave Rebellious Youth, and awakened consciences.”
The midnight raid and deception
The final chapter of their lives began with a cowardly ambush. At approximately 9:30 PM on Sunday night, March 29, 2026, over 20 prison guards raided the political prisoners’ hall in Unit 4 of Ghezel Hesar Prison to transfer the six PMOI members for execution.
Led by executioner Hassan Ghobadi, the guards arrived at an unusual hour when all inmates were in their cells. Two guards stood by each cell door and deceitfully told the prisoners, “Without touching anything, come out of your rooms. It is an inspection.”
To ensure compliance and trick the inmates into leaving their cells peacefully, Ghobadi loudly reassured the prisoners twice that there was no problem and it was merely a routine search. The true intent of the raid only became clear once the prisoners had gathered in the corridor and guards began calling out names.
When the guards attempted to handcuff Vahid Bani Amerian from behind, he bravely resisted. In response, multiple guards viciously attacked him, raining down successive blows until his head and face were covered in blood.
Refusing to be cowed by the violence, long-standing political prisoner Saeed Masouri, who had not yet entered the corridor, shouted at the guards: “Kill us all – Death to Khamenei!” The guards’ brutality continued when executioner Ghasem Sahraei, the prison’s duty officer, violently punched another political prisoner, Ali Younesi, squarely in the face simply for stating his last name, causing his face to swell immediately.
Subsequently, 21 prisoners were handcuffed and transferred to the prison’s crossing area, known as Zir-e Hasht, to be sent to solitary confinement.
A tearless farewell
At Zir-e Hasht, the six PMOI members were separated from the rest of the group. One by one, the handcuffed prisoners kissed the six heroes goodbye, emphasizing their commitment to continuing their path.
The prison guards were left entirely stunned by the victims’ absolute lack of fear or panic in the face of imminent death. When a fellow inmate broke down crying from the emotional weight of the moment, Vahid Bani Amerian, Mohammad Taghavi, and Akbar Daneshvarkar firmly told him, “Don’t cry and don’t let the enemy see your tears.”
With his signature smile, Vahid comforted the grieving inmate, saying, “Why are you crying? We are going to Behrouz and Mehdi,” referring to PMOI members Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, who were executed by the regime in July 2025.
Mohammad Taghavi stood calm and dignified, while Pouya Ghobadi proudly raised his handcuffed hands in a gesture of farewell as they were taken away.
A bloody track record and warning
Following the departure of the six men to the gallows, prison authorities vindictively transferred the remaining prisoners to solitary confinement, accusing them of “causing a scene” and making noise during the farewells.
The executioners—specifically Ghezel Hesar warden Allah-Karam Azizi and his deputies Hassan Ghobadi and Ghasem Sahraei—will face justice for their crimes. Warden Azizi has repeatedly participated in the murder of dissidents, including the hangings of PMOI martyrs Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani.