Statement from political prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison regarding the death sentence for three political prisoners, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI):
The regime’s judiciary, on the anniversary of the uprising, out of fear of igniting the flames of public anger, once again issued criminal death sentences in brief trials without the slightest observance of legal standards. This time, three political prisoners named Behrouz Ehsani, Mehdi Hassani, and Mohammad Javad Vafaee Thani were sentenced to death.
We, the political prisoners who support the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) in Ghezel Hesar Prison, condemn the issuance of death sentences in general and specifically warn of the imminent threat of execution against these three political prisoners. We call on all conscientious individuals and international human rights organizations to take immediate action to save the lives of these prisoners and to stop their executions.
Political prisoners who support the PMOI in Ghezel Hesar Prison
September 20, 2024
Background
The judiciary of Iran’s regime issued death sentences for Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, two PMOI supporters, on the second anniversary of the 2022 uprising. This sentence, communicated to their lawyer, was issued by the notorious Judge Iman Afshari, head of Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. These two political prisoners were sentenced to death on charges of “baghi (rebellion), moharebeh (waging war against God), corruption on Earth, membership in the PMOI, collecting classified information, and conspiracy against national security.”
The 69-year-old political prisoner Behrouz Ehsani was arrested on December 6, 2022, in Tehran and transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention center (Ward 209 of Evin Prison), where he was subjected to torture. He is currently held in Ward 4 of Evin Prison.
Mehdi Hassani, 48, was arrested on September 11, 2022, in Zanjan and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, where he was subjected to physical and psychological torture. He is currently imprisoned in Ward 8 of Evin Prison.
Mohammad Javad Vafa’i Thani, a 29-year-old boxing champion and coach at clubs in Mashhad, was arrested in March 2020 in Mashhad and subjected to severe physical and psychological torture. In January 2022, he was sentenced to death by Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad on charges of “corruption on earth, arson, and destruction of special places, including the building of the Government Punishment Organization.” On July 19, 2023, Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad sentenced Mohammad Javad to death for the second time. In September 2024, his death sentence was upheld for the third time by the criminal judiciary of Iran’s regime.
In an attempt to quell the explosive anger of society and out of fear of the growing support among youth for the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance, the regime sees torture and execution as its only solution.