Official announcements from Iranian government or international human rights organizations

Amnesty International Calls for Halt of Six Iranian Men's Executions, Including Abolhassan Montazer and Akbar Daneshvarkar, Amid Rising Death Toll

Jan 25, 2025, 07:54 AM

Amnesty International has launched an urgent action campaign to halt the execution of six Iranian men sentenced to death following what the organization described as a grossly unfair trial. The men, identified as Abolhassan Montazer, aged 65, Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, aged 58, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, Pouya Ghobadi, and Vahid Bani Amerian, were convicted in October 2024 by Tehran's Revolutionary Court (Branch 26) on charges of 'armed rebellion against the state' or 'baghi.' Amnesty International reported that the trial was marred by allegations of torture and other ill-treatment to extract forced confessions, with defendants denied the right to legal representation from the time of their arrest. The organization has urged Iranian authorities to quash the death sentences and convictions, grant the men a fair retrial, and protect them from further torture. Additionally, Amnesty International has called on the international community to push for a moratorium on executions in Iran, where there has been a sharp rise in capital punishment cases, with at least 853 executions carried out in 2023 and 901 in 2024, including 31 women. According to the US-based rights group HRANA, at least 54 political prisoners are currently facing execution across various prisons in Iran.