BEHIND THE IRAN HEADLINES Series, December 2, 2024, Alireza Jafarzadeh, NCRI-US Deputy Director
The Iranian regime’s sentencing to death of six political prisoners accused of membership with the largest and most organized Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, the MEK, highlights the desperation of a dictatorship under siege from all sides.
The six individuals—Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani-Amrian, Babak Alipour, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi—were condemned on charges, including “membership in the MEK,” “collusion and conspiracy against national security,” “armed rebellion against the government,” and “destruction of public property using a launcher.”
The detainees, ranging in age from their 30s to late 60s, were subjected to months of torture in Evin Prison, notorious for its inhumane treatment of political prisoners. For example, Montazer, 65, suffers from severe heart and kidney conditions exacerbated by the regime’s neglect and abuse, while Taghavi, a veteran activist from the 1980s, has been on hunger strike to protest his mistreatment. Their sentences coincide with a broader campaign of repression that has escalated dramatically under the regime’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, condemned these actions, stating, “Ali Khamenei fruitlessly seeks to preserve his regime through a wave of executions. These heinous crimes will not go unanswered. They will only ignite the flames of public outrage, further strengthening the determination of Iran’s courageous youth.” Her words underscore the growing defiance within Iran.
The international community faces a moral imperative. As Mrs. Rajavi urged, “The UN, all human rights bodies, and organizations advocating for human rights must take immediate action to save these prisoners and secure the release of all political prisoners.”
The regime’s ongoing execution spree will fail and ultimately backfire. The global momentum toward a free and democratic republic in Iran will grow as the only viable pathway for a nation striving to achieve freedom, self-governance, and peace.