The voice of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh is clear, but desperate. From death row in western Iran, the 29-year-old said, 'This may be the last time you hear my voice.' He was executed earlier this month, one of a surge in political executions since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
The UN says at least 32 political prisoners have been executed since the war began. Amnesty International reports 45 such executions in all of 2025. Many were accused of spying for Israel or the CIA. Fourteen were arrested during the January uprising.
'Iran authorities carry out executions by hanging, at dawn,' says Amnesty's Nassim Papayianni. 'They weaponise the death penalty as a tool of political repression, to instil fear.'
Sasan Azadvar, a 21-year-old karate champion, was executed in late April for breaking a police car window during protests. He faced no lethal charge. Iran's judiciary head dismissed international criticism, saying courts would not be swayed.
Human rights groups say the death penalty is disproportionately used against minorities. Erfan Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old aerospace engineering student, was hanged on May 11 after allegedly sharing information with Israeli and US intelligence. A note he wrote before his death called the charges fabricated.