Two political prisoners sentenced to death as Iran’s execution rate soars
Two Iranian political prisoners have been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Urmia in separate cases.
Two Iranian political prisoners have been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Urmia in separate cases.
The sentences for Mehran Hasanzadeh and Hamid Abdollahzadeh add to growing concerns over the escalating use of capital punishment against political dissidents in the country.
Hasanzadeh, a resident of Oshnavieh, was convicted on charges of rebellion (Baghi), a capital offense under Iran's Islamic law.
According to HRANA human rights organization, the charge stemmed from an accusation of killing a member of the Basij paramilitary force.
“Mehran has been accused of killing a Basij member, which ultimately led to the charge of rebellion and the issuance of the death sentence against him,” a source familiar with the case told HRANA.
Hasanzadeh was previously detained during the 2022 protests, released on bail, and later rearrested before being transferred to Urmia Prison.
In a separate case, Abdollahzadeh, a resident of Urmia, received a death sentence on suspicion of "membership in an opposition party."
Arrested by security forces in late 2023, he was taken to Urmia Prison following interrogation.
The sentencing of Hasanzadeh and Abdollahzadeh reflects a broader trend of intensifying repression since nationwide protests erupted in September 2022. Sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police, the demonstrations have been met with severe crackdowns, including mass arrests and the targeting of civil and political activists.
In recent months, Iranian authorities have increasingly resorted to the death penalty. Human rights groups report that over 42 political prisoners are currently at risk of execution.
In its November 21 report, HRANA documented at least 133 executions in since the past month, averaging more than four per day. This surge follows another statistic from the Iran Human Rights Organization, which recorded at least 166 executions in October.
HRANA’s reports indicate an average of 811 executions occurred between October 2023 and October 2024, encompassing both political detainees and ordinary prisoners.
The heightened execution rate coincides with rising tensions between Iran and Israel, and some suggest that the government uses the cover of geopolitical crises to deflect attention from internal repression.
Iran’s Statistics Center revealed that rental rates in urban areas rose by approximately 42% in the last 12 months compared to the same period last year. This rate significantly outpaced general inflation by 8.6 percentage points, despite a government-imposed cap of 25% on rent hikes announced in July.
Since July, following the implementation of a cap on rent increases, annual inflation in this sector, as reported by the Statistics Center, has been recorded at 41.4% in August, 41.7% in September, 41.8% in October, and now 41.7% in November.
Throughout these four months, rent inflation has exceeded general inflation. From September to November, rent inflation compared to general inflation has been reported to be higher by 6.6, 7.5, 8.2, and 8.6 percentage points, respectively.
The cost of renting has faced a significant surge since 2020, a combination of housing prices rising and the country's inflation rising since 2019. The government’s strategy of command pricing is not addressing the root causes of inflation, reported the financial newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad.
Rental price inflation is part of a wider trend of rising costs in Iran, with recent moves by the government signaling potential price increases in gasoline and automobiles. It comes alongside rising energy costs and insufficient incomes.
The government recently authorized controversial measures to burn mazut in power plants to address the energy crisis, exacerbating environmental and public health concerns. Meanwhile, a resolution by the Economic Council mandates higher gas tariffs to curb overconsumption, further burdening households.
Simultaneously, domestic carmakers Iran Khodro and SAIPA announced price increases of up to 30% for their products, citing financial losses and heavy debts. Critics have called the car market one-sided, accusing the government of supporting monopolistic practices by banning imports.
The situation is reminiscent of the 2019 fuel price protests which saw widespread unrest and the deaths of hundreds of protesters. Economists warn that any rise in fuel prices could trigger inflationary shocks across the economy.
Hossein Raghfar, an economist at Al-Zahra University told Jamaran News: “Raising fuel prices without addressing systemic economic issues will harm everyone and increase tensions."
As the Iranian government struggles to manage rising costs and budget deficits, the consequences of inflation are felt acutely by ordinary citizens with one third of Iranians now living below the poverty line and basic goods like food becoming ever harder to afford.
Speaking during an open session of parliament on Sunday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized the resolution, accusing the United States and European nations of using Iran's nuclear program as a pretext for unjustified actions.
He said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran's reciprocal response to this political misuse of the Board of Governors was immediately put into action, and the deployment of a set of new and advanced centrifuges has begun".
The IAEA resolution, backed by major Western powers, expresses concerns over Iran’s lack of cooperation in addressing undeclared nuclear sites and calls for full compliance with its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Tehran, however, has dismissed these concerns and accused the agency of undermining trust through such decisions.
In a statement, France, Germany, the US and the UK criticized Iran’s response on Saturday, emphasizing the lack of credible peaceful rationale for expanding its nuclear program.
They warned that Tehran’s actions could deepen mistrust and further destabilize diplomatic efforts to address its nuclear ambitions.
“[We] note with serious concern Iran’s announcement that, instead of responding to the IAEA resolution with cooperation, it plans to respond with further expansion of its nuclear program in ways that have no credible peaceful rationale."
They also added that with this resolution, the IAEA Board emphasizes the essential and urgent need for Iran to resolve outstanding issues.
The western nations raised hope that Iran will use the time leading up to this report to provide the necessary information and cooperation to address these concerns. Last year, Iran banned a third of the IAEA's inspectors throwing relations between the two into a crisis.
“[This way,] the Agency is able to provide assurance that Iran’s program remains exclusively peaceful, and the Board can close consideration of this matter. If it does not, it will be important that the Board remain engaged to meet the challenge that Iran’s continued refusal to meet its NPT-related nuclear verification obligations would present, including to the credibility of the global IAEA safeguards regime.”
The development comes amid the prolonged deadlock over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, which Iran claims the resolution jeopardizes.
The IAEA’s calls for compliance and Iran’s defiance highlight the growing divide between Tehran and Western nations. As both sides dig in, the possibility of a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear standoff appears increasingly tenuous.
