22 April 2026 :

April 22, 2026 - IRAN. Mehdi Farid Executed on Espionage Charges

The Judiciary’s media center announced that Mehdi Farid, a prisoner accused of espionage, was executed early this morning. Mr. Farid, who had been an employee of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, had been sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on earth through collaboration with Israel.”

According to a report by Mizan, Mehdi Farid was executed at dawn on April 22, after his sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court. The Judiciary’s media center claims that Mr. Farid had been working in one of the institutions affiliated with passive defense and had established contact on Internet, with an individual mentioned as a “Mossad officer.” The report alleges that after initial contact through email, he gradually entered into intelligence cooperation and provided information regarding organizational structure, infrastructure, and personnel details.

The judiciary has stated that the case evidence included the “defendant’s confessions,” reports from security agencies, and analysis of electronic equipment. Based on these, the court deemed the actions attributed to Mehdi Farid as constituting “corruption on earth” and issued the death sentence.

The statement does not mention the location where the execution was carried out. However, on November 11 of 2025, HRANA had reported that this prisoner was transferred from Evin Prison to Ghezel-Hesar Prison in Karaj.

Mehdi Farid, born in Arak, was approximately 55 years old. He was arrested in the winter of 2023. In the initial trial, he had been sentenced to 10 years in prison and restitution of property. However, following the prosecutor’s objection, the case entered a new phase, and the Tehran Province Court of Appeals sentenced him to death on charges of cooperation with Israel.

It is worth noting that following the outbreak of military conflict between the United States–Israel and Iran, which began on February 28, 2026, the execution of prisoners with political-security charges has accelerated.