The deaths of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, who were hanged by the Iranian authorities on Friday, July 25, added two more names to the list of those sentenced and executed in Iran. Hassani, aged 48, was arrested on September 11, 2022; Ehsani, aged 69, was arrested on December 6, 2022. Both men were sentenced to death in January for "armed rebellion," "enmity against God" and "corruption on Earth," charges linked to their alleged membership in the opposition group People's Mujahedin (MEK). Their sentences were handed down after a trial lasting five minutes, during which they were not allowed to defend themselves. They had been denied access to their lawyers for two years.

These two executions brought the total number of people killed in the first half of the year to at least 612 men and women, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. That is twice as many as during the same period in 2024 (with 297 executions). At least 48 people are currently being held on death row in Iran, according to the UN.

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