The Iranian authorities launched a new wave of executions in March, targeting people believed to be political prisoners even as the US and Israel conducted airstrikes against the Islamic Republic. The clerical regime has executed 14 individuals since the war started in late February.
On March 18 — two days before Nowruz, the Persian new year — Iran executed Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national, on charges of spying for Israel. He had been arrested during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel last year for allegedly photographing sensitive areas. A day later, three young men were executed for their involvement in mass protests in January, the first hangings related to the nationwide demonstrations that ended in a bloody clampdown. In the following days several others were hanged on charges of rebellion over membership of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), a banned opposition group. Even on Sizdah Bedar — the 13th and final day of the Persian new year festivities — executions continued: Amirhossein, an 18-year-old detained during the January unrest, was hanged. More hangings followed in the days after Nowruz.
Dozens of prisoners face imminent execution
Raha Bahreini, an Iran expert at Amnesty International, said there are “at least two dozen” political prisoners at imminent risk of execution. These include those arrested during the January protests, individuals whose trials date back to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, and people with actual or alleged ties to Kurdish parties, the MEK, or other opposition groups. Also at risk are people who were forced to make confessions under torture and are now charged with espionage or vague offences such as moharebeh (war against God), baghi (rebellion against the Islamic government), or “corruption on earth.” Even before the US-Israel strikes, Amnesty had warned that at least 30 prisoners linked to the January protests were at risk — including two minors. Seven of them have since been executed by hanging.
A familiar pattern?
Legal scholar Afrooz Maghzi described the surge in executions during the war as “entirely predictable,” repeating a pattern evident in the 1980s. She warned the theocratic regime is exploiting political rhetoric from abroad — including statements by US and Israeli leaders — to justify repression at home. If foreign narratives speak of “insurgent groups” or forces loyal to monarchists within the military, Tehran can portray civilian protests as “armed operations” or “foreign-directed terrorism,” she said. Maghzi also pointed to an increase in “unknown individuals” — people about whom little information exists and who apparently had no access to sensitive data — being executed on espionage charges since the war began, calling it a new development meant to project an artificial “image of strength” in times of conflict.
What can people abroad do?
Of the 14 people executed over six weeks, six were killed for alleged MEK membership. Maghzi said Iranian authorities are deliberately using the MEK to portray the entire protest movement as militaristic. People living abroad should debunk the regime’s narrative by emphasizing that those executed are teachers, students, and ordinary citizens — not armed fighters — and should work to raise the political costs for Tehran. She urged that international talks with Iran be made conditional on stopping the executions.
Foreign pressure has limits
Iran is the world’s most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups. Last year it hanged at least 1,500 people, figures from Iran Human Rights (IHR) show. Since 1979 the UN General Assembly has passed dozens of resolutions, and the UN Human Rights Council multiple motions, urging Iran to address serious human rights concerns. Yet, Amnesty’s Bahreini says the government remains indifferent and deliberately uses the death penalty to intimidate people — especially while the population is also suffering wartime devastation. Public pressure is harder to sustain during wartime, when media and publics focus on military developments.
The role of non-Western countries
Bahreini emphasized the importance of countries with economic ties to Iran — particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America — in raising awareness. Iranians living in those regions should engage local media and civil society. Rights activists also urge the international community to make clear to Iranian judiciary and security officials that the state of war does not grant perpetual impunity for their crimes.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
