Following the execution of four political prisoners affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), a broad wave of international reactions and condemnations has emerged, all warning against this action.
On Monday, March 30, Mohammad Taghavi and Akbar Daneshvarkar were executed, followed on the morning of Tuesday, March 31, by two other political prisoners, Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi. The event has intensified concerns about the escalation of repression in Iran.
At the same time, political figures and human rights organizations, pointing to the risk facing other political prisoners, have called for urgent action by the international community to stop this trend.
Reuters reported that two prisoners were executed on Tuesday on charges of ties to the PMOI/MEK, noting that two similar executions had also taken place on Monday.
The Associated Press, referring to the executions of Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi, emphasized that according to Amnesty International, they had been convicted of armed rebellion in October 2024 after an unfair trial conducted under pressure and torture.
The Washington Post also covered the news and referred to Amnesty International’s previous efforts to prevent the implementation of these sentences.
The Friends of a Free Iran group in the European Parliament announced that it had previously launched a campaign to save the lives of Mohammad Taghavi and Akbar Daneshvarkar.
The Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre organization also stated that these individuals were executed on charges of membership in the PMOI/MEK and attempting to change the ruling system, warning that other prisoners remain at risk.
Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, also referred to the executions and said that she and other UN experts had previously called for these sentences to be halted. She stressed that the executions were accompanied by serious violations of fair trial standards and, in some cases, were carried out even during a complete internet shutdown.
Meanwhile, regional media outlets also covered the issue. The London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi linked the executions to allegations of planning armed operations, while the National Council of Resistance of Iran described them as a brutal act aimed at suppressing domestic resistance. Raialyoum newspaper also reported that the sentences were carried out because of membership in the PMOI/MEK and efforts to overthrow the government.
