Political Prisoners on Death Row in Iran at Grave Risk Amid War

CHRI Warns Iran May Use Wartime Chaos to Execute Political Prisoners

June 19, 2025 — As the war between Iran and Israel intensifies, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) is gravely concerned about the fate of political prisoners on death row in Iran. At least 54 individuals, including three women, had been sentenced to death prior to the outbreak of war. There is growing fear that Iranian authorities may use the cover of war to carry out these executions, using them as tools of reprisal and intimidation to further silence dissent and instill fear across the population.

CHRI is particularly concerned about those charged with espionage or other national security offenses that can carry the death penalty. Iran has a long and documented history of using such charges arbitrarily and unjustly—often relying on confessions extracted under torture and deeply flawed judicial processes—to sentence dissidents, ethnic minorities, and dual nationals to lengthy prison terms or death.

“Iran must not be allowed to use the fog of war to eliminate its critics in silence,” said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI’s executive director.

“The lives of Iran’s political prisoners depend on global leaders taking a firm, unified stand against retaliatory punishments—especially expedited executions—and demanding that citizens charged with political crimes receive full due process and fair trial rights,” Ghaemi said.

A source close to one political prisoner sentenced to death told CHRI:

“Since the war started, we’ve had no information about our imprisoned relative. All phone contact has been cut off, and there is absolutely no way to follow up through judicial channels. No one is answering. With all the talk from judicial officials about swift prosecution and harsh punishment for collaboration with Israel, our fears have only deepened.”

CHRI has also confirmed that prisoners in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad and Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah have been denied all contact with their families since the war began.

“It is beyond cruel and unjust that Iran’s political prisoners—who are already victims of the Islamic Republic’s brutal repression—may now also become casualties of a war they had no part in making,” Ghaemi added. 

CHRI Calls for Immediate Action

CHRI urges global leaders to demand that the Iranian authorities:

• Halt all executions, particularly those involving political prisoners.
• Grant emergency furloughs or conditional releases to all political prisoners, in accordance with Iran’s own laws under crisis conditions.
• Ensure all prisoners have uninterrupted access to legal counsel and family contact.
• Ensure adequate protection amid the war for all prisoners, including shelter from attacks, food, clean water, and medical care.
• Immediately disclose the whereabouts of all detainees and transfers made during the conflict, and ensure transparency on the status, location, and health of prisoners.

CHRI also urgently calls on global leaders and the UN to vigorously work toward an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated solution to this conflict.

Political Prisoners Most at Risk

CHRI is especially concerned about the imminent risk of execution of the following individuals:

• Mohammadamin Mahdavi Shayesteh, 26 years old, was sentenced to death for alleged “collaboration with Israel” and given an additional five-year term for “insulting Islamic sanctities” by a Revolutionary Court that relied on forced “confessions” extracted under torture as evidence. On 30 May 2025, his sentence was upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, putting him at grave risk of execution.
• Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-Swedish doctor and father of two children, was arrested in April 2016 and sentenced to death for “corruption on earth through espionage for Israel” in 2017 following a grossly unfair trial based on forced “confessions” extracted under torture. Over the past nine years, he has endured torture, prolonged solitary confinement, severe physical and psychological abuse, and denial of urgent medical care.
• Azad Shojaei, a 46-year-old Kurdish border courier and father of three, Edris Ali, a 33-year-old Kurdish border courier, and Rasoul Ahmad Mohammad, a Kurdish Iraqi national, were sentenced to death on charges of “espionage for Israel” in connection with the 2020 assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist. They were held incommunicado for eight months following their arrests in 2024 and subjected to torture to extract “confessions.” They were denied access to their lawyer of choice throughout the interrogation process. Shojaei was promised a reprieve if he signed a repentance letter, but his death sentence was upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court on June 4, 2025. 
• Shahin Vasaf, 28, was arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in September 2022 by security forces and sentenced to death for “espionage for Israel” in October 2023. He was subjected to torture to extract forced “confessions” and denied the right to a lawyer of his choice. On April 7, 2025, his death sentence was overturned and his case sent for retrial before the same judge who initially sentenced him, raising fears of a renewed death sentence.

Expedited Executions, Mounting Arrests

On June 16, 2025, just two days after the war began, the judiciary carried out the execution of Esmaeil Fekri on charges of espionage for Israel two years after his arrest. 

According to IHRNGO, Fekri was sentenced to death after a 10-minute trial at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, without access to a lawyer. The verdict, upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, was based on forced “confessions” obtained under threats to arrest his family. Despite having no government position, he was accused of spying and sharing classified nuclear, missile, and naval information with Israel.

Two other citizens—Mohsen LangarNeshin (executed on April 20, 2025), Pedram Madani (executed on June 7, 2025)—were hanged on charges of espionage for Israel in cases that were riddled with due process violations and lack of evidence.

Since the outbreak of war on June 20, Iranian state media has reported the arrest of at least 35 individuals in cities including Baneh, Ilam, Savojbolagh, Fashafouyeh, Karaj, Yasuj, and Tehran. 

These individuals face serious charges, including espionage for Israel, collaboration with a hostile foreign government, and possession of explosives and drones. Their whereabouts remain unknown, and none appear to have had access to legal representation or contact with their families.

On June 18, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei publicly called for the swift prosecution of those arrested on espionage charges. That same day, Iran’s Parliament approved an emergency bill to intensify punishments for collaboration with foreign adversaries.

These developments raise urgent alarm, particularly given Iran’s history of executing political prisoners on similar charges following sham trials marked by torture, forced confessions, and lack of due process.

In a disturbing development, Ali Younesi, a top university student and political detainee, was transferred from Evin Prison to an undisclosed location on June 18. His family remains uninformed of his whereabouts.

Prisons Lack Shelters, Sirens, Fire Extinguishers; Prisoners Demand Protections

On June 18, 2025, a group of political prisoners held in Evin Prison sent a letter to Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, urging the release of prisoners on bail who were convicted of nonviolent offenses, with appropriate guarantors. They cited grave safety concerns amid the armed conflict, noting that most prisons, particularly Ward 8 of Evin, lack basic protections such as bomb shelters, air raid sirens, or even fire extinguishers.

Signed by prominent political prisoners, the letter emphasizes that the current wartime context constitutes a “crisis condition” under Iranian law (the 1986 directive from the Supreme Judicial Council and Articles 201 and 197 of the Executive Bylaw of the Prisons Organization), and that the judiciary chief should use his legal authority to issue long-term furloughs for prisoners.

The signatories also cited the absence of bomb shelters, air raid warning systems, and even basic safety items such as fire extinguishers. The letter asks:

“Must it always be a national or religious occasion for you to use your authority for granting leave? Can you not, under these wartime conditions, ease the burden just a little for the citizens of this country?”

In recent days, several other political prisoners have issued similar open letters from inside prison, warning about the unsafe conditions amid war, among them Mahvash (Saye) Sabet, who issued an urgent letter calling for immediate legal and humanitarian measures to protect the lives and safety of political prisoners who are trapped in or near areas under bombardment in Iran.

“The Islamic Penal Code explicitly provides in Articles 46, 52, and 58 for alternatives to imprisonment, suspension of sentence execution, and conditional release. In emergency situations such as wartime, these provisions must be implemented immediately and without delay.”

Failure to Protect Prisoners During War Is Grave Breach of International Law

Iran is legally obligated to protect its prisoner population. As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Iran is bound by Article 10, which requires that all persons deprived of liberty be treated with humanity and dignity, and Article 7, which prohibits cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and remains in full effect during wartime.

In addition, under customary international humanitarian law, which applies during armed conflict and binds all states regardless of treaty ratification, Iran has a legal duty to ensure the humane treatment and safety of all civilians, including those in state custody.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) identifies binding rules that include Rule 131 (the obligation to ensure safe conditions for displaced or vulnerable persons), which require Iran to protect its prisoners from harm during military attacks, ensure continued access to food, water, medical care, and shelter, and prevent acts of violence or neglect against them. Iran is also a State Party to the Fourth Geneva Convention, which reinforces these obligations under Articles 27 and 85, prohibiting inhumane treatment and mandating protective measures during hostilities.

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the “Nelson Mandela Rules”), which are widely accepted as the global benchmark for prison conditions, also emphasize the duty of care by states toward prisoners, including the protection from violence, access to healthcare, legal assistance, and fair disciplinary procedures, and the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment.