Iranian authorities carried out the execution of five political prisoners at Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison earlier this week, according to reports from human rights activists within the country. The executions, revealed by activists and only later relayed to families, have fueled renewed criticism of the Islamic Republic’s treatment of political detainees and its disregard for international legal norms.
Human rights groups report that the five prisoners, whose names have not been released by Iranian authorities, were sentenced to death in closed trials on charges widely deemed political in nature. Families of the condemned were given no advance notice of the execution date, leaving them to learn of their loved ones’ fates only after the sentences were carried out—a practice consistently denounced as a violation of both Iranian and international legal standards.
Background accounts indicate that the executed inmates had previously smuggled a letter out of prison in late 2023, describing violent abuse and inhumane conditions within Vakilabad, and appealing for international intervention. The letter, circulated among international rights organizations, detailed systematic mistreatment, including physical violence, psychological pressure, and unsanitary, overcrowded cells. Despite mounting evidence and appeals for action, no external intervention succeeded in safeguarding the prisoners from execution.
This episode is the latest in a long pattern of state repression in the Islamic Republic. As noted by observers, Vakilabad Prison is notorious as a site of political detainment and capital punishment, frequently targeting protesters, regime critics, and ethnic or religious minorities. Rights groups including Amnesty International have repeatedly documented the lack of due process for defendants in political cases, emphasizing that many are denied access to legal representation, subjected to torture, and tried in secret.
Legal experts argue that the process flouts basic judicial protections. Trials for political prisoners are often conducted away from public scrutiny, with defense attorneys restricted or excluded, and verdicts issuing quickly and with severe punishment. The refusal to notify families ahead of executions is an additional means of intimidation, denying relatives the chance to visit or say goodbye and undermining the right to dignified burial and mourning.
Since mass demonstrations erupted in Iran following disputed elections in 2009, and again in 2017, 2019, and 2022—most recently after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody—the Iranian authorities have consistently escalated repression against dissidents. Hundreds remain imprisoned on political charges, with dozens reportedly facing possible execution for offenses that fall far short of capital crimes under international law.
At the heart of this apparatus is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which, in addition to directing Iran’s regional operations and backing proxy militias abroad, is deeply involved in suppressing opposition within the country. The IRGC’s intelligence branches are credited with orchestrating many of the arrests, interrogations, and prosecutions that lead to death sentences for activists and ethnic or religious minorities.
Critics contend that the IRGC’s influence sustains a climate of fear designed to crush even peaceful dissent. Families of detainees routinely describe being threatened with reprisals if they speak to the media or attempt to mobilize public attention. Following executions, the authorities frequently restrict funerals or delay the return of bodies, seeking to prevent public gatherings that could spark further unrest.
International reaction has been muted, with calls for transparency and restraint from the United Nations and Western states achieving little tangible result. Iran denies interference and frames criticism as politically motivated, refusing access to independent investigators or rights monitors and dismissing allegations of torture and judicial misconduct.
Despite these challenges, Iranian and international rights groups continue to document abuses and press for accountability. They argue that the pattern of forced confessions, secretive trials, and arbitrary executions highlights the regime’s determination to silence any threat to its authority at home, just as it wages proxy warfare across the Middle East through organizations such as the IRGC.
For Iran, internal repression and external aggression are closely linked. Analysts note that the same security institutions responsible for orchestrating executions and quashing dissent domestically are active in destabilizing the broader region, threatening neighboring countries including Israel—against which Iran and its proxies have waged ongoing campaigns and terror operations.
The contrast with democratic standards in Israel and other open societies is stark. While Israel faces constant attacks from Iranian-backed terror organizations, it remains committed to upholding legal norms, even for enemy prisoners, allowing external inspection and legal representation. By contrast, Iran’s use of political executions sends a chilling warning across its society—and beyond—that dissent will be met without mercy or justice.
The execution of these five political prisoners is both a tragic injustice and a sobering reminder of the stakes for those living under authoritarian rule. The outcome also raises pressing questions for the international community: what further steps can be taken to pressure Iran for change, and how can the world support those inside the country risking everything to demand accountability and justice?
Human rights defenders continue to sound the alarm. The cost of silence, they warn, is borne not only by those whose lives are cut short but also by a region still at risk from a regime that suppresses freedom and stokes conflict in equal measure.
