Author name: Mahin Habibpour

Reports indicate that five political prisoners held in Ahvaz Central Prison  could face imminent execution after their death sentences were upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court. Four of them are being sentenced to death for  supporting  the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). Reports from Iran indicate that five political prisoners — Massoud Jamei, Alireza Merdasi , Farshad Etemadi-Far, Reza Abdali, and Hassan Maslavi — face the risk of imminent execution in Ahvaz Central Prison , raising renewed concerns over the use of the death penalty in political cases.  According to the reports, Farshad Etemadi-Far, Alireza Merdasi (Hamidavi),and Massoud Jamei were arrested in the summer of 2023 and sentenced in July 2025 by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz, presided over by Judge Adibi-Mehr. They were convicted on charges including moharebeh (“enmity against God”), “assembly and collusion against national security,” “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK),” and “propaganda against the state.” They were sentenced to two death sentences and one year of imprisonment, and the ruling was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court on November 14, 2025.  Reza Abdali, who was arrested in February 2025, was sentenced in July 2025 to death and 15 years in prison for support of the PMOI. His death sentence was also upheld by the Supreme Court in November 2025.  The prisoners come from diverse professional and ethnic backgrounds. Farshad Etemadi-Far, 31, is from Basht in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province and had previously served a 20-month prison sentence following an earlier arrest in 2018. Massoud Jamei, 49, worked for the oil industry, while Alireza Mardasi, 53, is a teacher. Both are members of Iran’s Arab community and were arrested in Ahvaz. Reza Abdali, 36, is also an Arab resident of Ahvaz and belongs to the Daghaghleh tribe.  The reports come amid growing concern over conditions inside Sheiban Prison, one of Iran’s most overcrowded detention facilities. Former prisoners and rights advocates have repeatedly reported severe shortages of water, inadequate sanitation, and living conditions far beyond the prison’s intended capacity. Reports indicate that prisoners face chronic shortages of drinking water and sanitary facilities due to overcrowding.  The threat of new executions comes amid a broader escalation in death penalty cases involving PMOI supporters. In recent weeks, courts have issued or reaffirmed death sentences against several political prisoners, including Zahra Tabari, whose death sentence was reimposed in Rasht, and Amin Farahavar, a political prisoner from Gilan whose death sentence was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. Manouchehr Fallah, another political prisoner accused of membership in the PMOI, also remains under a confirmed death sentence.  The cases follow a wave of executions involving PMOI members. Since July 2025, ten members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have been executed. Among them were Hamed Validi and Mohammad Massoum-Shahi, who were executed on April 20, 2026, as well as Vahid Baniamerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Abolhassan Montazar,who were executed between March 30 and April 4, 2026.  The reported risk of imminent executions in Ahvaz comes as concerns continue to grow over the increasing use of capital punishment in political cases and the growing number of prisoners facing execution because of their political activities and support for opposition organizations. 

Relatives of political prisoners and members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have reportedly been summoned, interrogated, and threatened in recent weeks, as authorities increase pressure on families amid a continuing wave of executions and political prosecutions.  According to reports released this week, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence summoned the family of political prisoner Marzieh Farsi, who is currently held in Evin Prison, on May 24. Family members were reportedly subjected to several hours of interrogation, threats, insults, and psychological pressure.  According to the reports, interrogators warned the family against maintaining contact with other families of political prisoners or PMOI members.  The reported interrogation is part of a broader pattern affecting relatives of political prisoners and opposition supporters. Over the past two weeks, the families of political prisoners and PMOI supporters, including the families of Sedigheh Moradi, Azar Karvandi, and executed PMOI member Akbar Daneshvarkar, have also reportedly been summoned and questioned by intelligence authorities.  Reports say some family members were threatened with the confiscation of property and inheritance rights, while others were warned that additional relatives could face arrest.  According to the reports, intelligence officials also pressured family members to participate in proceedings linked to a renewed mass trial involving the PMOI and 104 members of the Iranian opposition. Relatives were allegedly asked to appear in court and give statements against the organization, while being warned that refusal could result in the seizure of assets or further arrests within their families.  The reported pressure campaign comes amid a broader escalation in political prosecutions. Since July 2025, ten members of the PMOI have been executed, including Hamed Validi and Mohammad Massoum-Shahi on April 20, 2026, as well as Vahid Baniamerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Abolhassan Montazer, several of whom were executed between March 30 and April 4, 2026.  At the same time, at least 20 protesters linked to the January 2026 uprising have been executed since March, according to compiled reports, while additional political prisoners remain under sentence of death. Rights advocates and legal experts have warned that more detainees arrested during the uprising could face execution.  The pressure on families has coincided with increasingly hardline rhetoric from senior officials. On April 28, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Eje’i called for faster implementation of rulings in security-related cases, arguing that delays weaken deterrence. On May 21, regime MP Hamid Rasaei urged the judiciary to establish wartime-style courts, accelerate punishments, and expand public executions. The latest reports suggest that alongside arrests, executions, and prison sentences, authorities are also extending pressure to the relatives of political prisoners and opposition supporters.