4th Feb 2025 - Amnesty International has issued an 'Urgent Action' to stop the imminent execution of two Iranian political prisoners, Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, who were sentenced to death after a grossly unfair trial.
The Supreme Court of Iran’s regime recently rejected their request for a judicial review, paving the way for their execution at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Alborz province. Their case has drawn widespread condemnation due to allegations of torture, forced confessions, and violations of due process.
Ehsani and Hassani were convicted in September 2024 after a trial that lasted only five minutes, Amnesty International warns in its latest statement. They were found guilty of “armed rebellion against the state”, “enmity against God”, and “corruption on earth”.
“According to an informed source, for six months following arrest, agents held Mehdi Hassani in solitary confinement and forced him to write self-incriminating statements under torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings and threats to harm his family,” Amnesty International wrote in the statement. Family members of both men have been kept in the dark regarding their fate. Authorities have denied them visits and phone calls in recent weeks, raising fears that their executions may be carried out in secret. The sudden transfer of Ehsani and Hassani from Evin Prison to Ghezel Hesar—where executions take place—has further heightened concerns.
“I urge you to immediately halt any plans to execute Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, quash their convictions and sentences, and release them as their detention is arbitrary due to severely grave violations of their fair trial rights,” Amnesty International stated in their appeal to the Iranian regime’s judiciary. The statement also called for urgent reforms: “I further urge you to grant them immediate access to their families, independently chosen lawyers, and to any adequate medical care they may need; and protect them from further torture and other ill-treatment.
AWYAF strongly condemns the imminent executions of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani and calls for their immediate release, along with the release of all political prisoners in Iran. We stand in solidarity with their families and demand an end to the unjust treatment and violations of their rights.
