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IRAN - IHR and Hengaw: Warns of Execution of Defendants Accused of Espionage for Israel

June 13, 2025:

June 13, 2025 - IRAN. IHR and Hengaw Warn of Execution of Defendants Accused of Espionage for Israel

Following the execution of Mohsen Langarneshin on 30 April and Pedram Madani on 28 May, at least ten other men named in this report are at risk of execution on the same charges

Amid escalating tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel, Iran’s authorities have intensified the issuance, confirmation and implementation of death sentences against individuals accused of spying for Israel in recent months.

Highlighting the due process and fair trial violations and the use of torture and other ill-treatment to extract self-incriminating confessions in the cases, Iran Human Rights considers them to be politically motivated, and urges the international community to act to halt the Islamic Republic’s execution machine.

IHR Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stated: "Those accused of espionage are sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court without access to their chosen lawyer, in an unfair, non-transparent process, and based on the orders of security institutions." Stressing that "the risk of execution of these individuals is serious," he added: "The Islamic Republic's goal in issuing and carrying out death sentences for these defendants and all those who are executed daily by this system is only to intimidate society and cover up the corruption and inefficiencies of the system."

At risk of execution:

Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh
Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh, around 26 years old, was arrested in Autumn 2023. Under torture, he confessed to collaborating with Israel which was used as the basis to charge him with multiple offences including “insulting Islamic sanctities” and importantly, Article 6 of the Law on Countering Israeli Actions Against Peace and Security. The article states that “any intelligence cooperation or espionage in favour of the Zionist regime is considered as moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth), and the perpetrator shall be sentenced to the severest punishment. The two aforementioned charges carry the death penalty.
Mohammad Amin was subsequently tried by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by “Death Judge” Salavati who issued the death sentence after a hasty trial. His case is so devoid of evidence that "an empty handgun magazine" and "a pepper spray can" have been used as evidence of illegal possession of weapons to prove "collaboration with the enemy."
According to reports, on 30 May 2025, Mohammad Amin’s sentence was upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Ghasem Hosseini Kouhkamari. He is at grave risk of execution in Ghezelhesar Prison.

Edris Ali
Edris Ali, a 33-year-old Kurdish kolbar (human mules who carry goods across the border), was sentenced to death on the charges of efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through espionage for Israel by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Reza Najafzadeh. His conviction was based on confession obtained by under torture and he was denied the right to his lawyer of choice during the interrogations and trial.
An informed source told IHR: “Edris Ali was a kolbar in the Sardasht border region. He was arrested for having a load full of alcohol by security forces. Edris Ali was physically tortured to force confessions, he even confessed to working for Israel which is not true. He was a victim of trumped up charges by the Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS), his only crime was to smuggle alcoholic drinks as a kolbar. In Urmia MOIS detention, he was told that he was carrying alcohol and would be released but he’d have to repeat what they said first. Edris repeated everything they said in front of the camera, he said he was carrying documents in his alcohol load that he was to give to Israel. Now, they’ve sentenced Edris to death based on this forced confession.”
He is currently held in Urmia Central Prison. There are two other defendants in this case named Azad Shojayi and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul.

Azad Shojaei
Azad Shojaei is a 46-year-old Kurdish man from the village of Dole Garmeh in Sardasht. He is married and has two daughters and a son. He was arrested in 2024 and accused of collaborating with Israel and involvement in the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Azad is accused of transporting weapons, ammunition and personnel related to the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh from Iraqi Kurdistan to Iran under the cover of smuggling alcohol. He was held incommunicado for eight months and subjected to torture to confess that he had brought two drones from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran. Azad was promised that if signed the letter of repentance, his death penalty would be revoked. A promise that, as usual, was a lie. Azad’s sentence was reportedly upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court on 4 June 2025. He is currently held in Urmia Central Prison.

Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul
Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul is a Kurdish Iraqi national who was arrested in June 2023 as one of the defendants in the assassination case of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. 
On 5 November 5 2024, Asghar Jahangir, spokesman for the Judiciary addressed the case, stating: "Eight defendants were identified in West Azerbaijan province and a case was brought against them. After investigation, three of them were indicted for espionage for the Zionist regime, and three of these individuals, in addition to espionage, had attempted to transport the equipment used to assassinate Martyr Fakhrizadeh into the country under the guise of smuggling alcoholic beverages." He is currently held in Urmia Central Prison.

Afshin Ghorbani-Meishani
Afshin Ghorbani Meishani is a 26-year-old teacher sentenced to death on charges of “intelligence collaboration and espionage for the benefit of the hostile Zionist regime (Mossad), collecting classified, top secret and confidential information through unqualified individuals and sending it to a hostile Mossad agent named David.”
Afshin was one of three defendants in the case. The first defendant, Mohsen Saravani, was executed in Zahedan Central Prison on 16 December 2024. The third defendant, Mandana Zanganeh Soroush who was a former economic deputy in the governor’s office, received a custodial sentence.

Rouzbeh Vadi
Rouzbeh Vadi, around 40, was arrested 18 months ago and sentenced to death on charges of espionage for Israel. According to information obtained by IHR, his sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
While little information is available about his case, according to unconfirmed reports, Rouzbeh was working as a nuclear expert at the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran at the time of his arrest. He is held in Evin Prison and at risk of execution.

Esmail Fekri
Esmail Fekri is another defendant whose death sentence for allegedly spying for Israel has been upheld by the Supreme Court. On 15 February 2025, he was transferred from Ward 4 of Evin Prison to Ghezelhesar Prison with Mohsen Langarneshin who was hanged two weeks later. No further information is available about Esmail’s case.

Ahmadreza Djalali
Ahmadreza Djalali is a dual Swedish-Iranian national who was a physician crisis management researcher working at the Karolinska Institutet, a medical university near Stockholm. Ahmadreza had travelled to Iran at the official invitation of the Universities of Tehran and Shiraz to participate in a crisis management workshop when he was arrested in April 2016.
He was transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison where he spent three months under physical and psychological torture to extract confessions.
Charged with “collaborating with hostile States”, he was later sentenced to “efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through espionage for Israel” after a grossly unfair trial by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran without due process. The charge was also upheld by the Supreme Court.
In an audio file that was leaked from inside Evin Prison in recent years, Ahmadreza addressed the alleged charges of espionage: “I have never said that I collaborated with Mossad. The only meeting I had with Mr Alimohammadi and Mr Shahriari was in 2002, and the entire meeting did not last more than three or four minutes. I have not had any direct cooperation in any of the Ministry of Defence projects since 2004, and in principle, the Ministry of Defence does not allow anyone who has been living abroad since 2008 to participate in its projects.” Ahmadreza has spent more than nine years on death row, during which he has been transferred to the gallows to exert pressure on Western countries in Iran’s hostage diplomacy. He is held in Evin Prison.
The following two individuals’ convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court and their cases referred to courts of equal standing for retrial. As many defendants are resentenced to death at retrial, their names have been kept on the list.

Naser Bekrzadeh
Naser Bekrzadeh, 25, worked " in tourism for a foreign employer" when he was arrested and sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court on charges of spying for Israel.
On 15 April 2025, his lawyer was notified that the ruling was overturned by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court and his case will be referred to a court of equal standing for retrial. IHR has kept his name on the list as he is likely to be resentenced to death at retrial.

Shahin Vasaf
Shahin Vasaf was arrested on 21 September 2022 and sentenced to death for charges related to espionage for Israel by Branch 1 of Urmia Revolutionary Court in a separate case.
On 7 April 2025, Shahin was informed in prison that his sentence had been overturned by the Supreme Court and his case referred to a court of equal standing for retrial. IHR has kept his name on the list as he is likely to be resentenced to death at retrial, particularly as Judge Reza Najafzadeh who initially issued his death sentence at Branch 1, is also presiding over Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court for his retrial.