The Friends of a Free Iran Committee in Nordic Countries (FOFIAF) has issued a strong statement condemning the Iranian regime’s death sentence against two political prisoners, Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48. The two men were arrested during the 2022 protests and subjected to torture in Tehran’s Evin Prison. They have been charged with “rebellion, waging war against God, corruption on Earth, and conspiracy against national security,” largely due to their support of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
FOFIAF’s statement, issued on September 18, 2024, is directed at international bodies and governments in the Nordic countries, urging them to take immediate action to overturn the sentences and save the prisoners’ lives. The committee highlights that these death sentences are part of a larger wave of state-sanctioned executions, which has intensified since the inauguration of Iran’s new president.
FOFIAF warns that the regime is demonstrating “the extreme weakness of a dying regime” through such brutal actions. It calls for global intervention to end the executions and demand accountability from Iran’s leadership. “It is time to put an end to executions in this country,” the statement declares, emphasizing that the regime has shown it can be pressured by international outcry.
The full text of the FOFIAF statement is as follows:
Urgent Appeal to Stop Executions in Iran and Save Political Prisoners
In the midst of a new wave of executions that has claimed more than 160 victims since the inauguration of the new president of the Iranian regime, FOFIAF has just learned of the death sentences passed on two political prisoners for their support of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Behrouz Ehsani, 69, was arrested in December 2022 and Mehdi Hassani, 48, in September of the same year, during the popular uprising.
Both were transferred to the intelligence section of Evin Prison in Tehran, where they were subjected to terrible torture. They have been convicted on charges of “rebellion, waging war against God, corruption on earth, membership in the PMOI, gathering classified information, and conspiracy against national security.”
Evin’s political prisoners from wards 4 and 8, and from the women’s section, succeeded in issuing a joint statement strongly condemning these death sentences, which demonstrate the extreme weakness of a dying regime. They call on the international community to take action to put an end to the death penalty in Iran and save the lives of these two political prisoners.
FOFIAF joins them in strongly denouncing these inhumane sentences and calling on international bodies and the governments of the Nordic countries to take urgent action to overturn the death sentences of these two political prisoners and secure the release of political prisoners in Iran. This regime is backing down under international pressure.
It is time to put an end to executions in this country and to hold the leaders of Iran’s theocracy to account.
Friends of a Free Iran Committee in Nordic Countries
September 18, 2024
