On January 29, 2024, a somber day unfolded at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj as four political prisoners on death row—Mohsen Mazloum, Pezhman Fatehi, Vafa Azarbar, and Hazhir Faramarzi—were executed. The previous day, they were transferred from Evin Prison to Ghezel Hesar in anticipation of their impending execution.
Despite international efforts urging Iran’s regime to halt the execution, these prisoners met their fate. Masoud Shams-Nejad, their legal representative, expressed his dismay, stating, “My clients were executed this morning, notwithstanding the fact that both preliminary and final indictments had established that the defendants were arrested before the alleged operation. It’s retribution before the crime, an irony which has now a reality.”
On July 23, 2022, Iran Police Intelligence (FARAJA) arrested them in the Sumay-ye Beradust District of Urmia County. Tasnim, a security-institution-affiliated news agency, reported their arrest as part of “a network of Israeli spies.” The agency claimed they possessed operational and communication equipment, along with explosive materials, and had entered the country from the Kurdistan region with plans to carry out unprecedented terrorist operations in sensitive, secure locations.
Approximately 80 days after their arrest, Iran’s state TV aired their coerced confessions, accusing them of spying for foreign intelligence and stating they had been apprehended in sensitive sites in Isfahan.
Their lawyer had earlier decried the due process and conviction as unjust and unfair, asserting that he and his clients were denied their rights throughout the proceedings.
Human rights organizations had questioned the details of these individuals’ legal cases, including the credibility of the charges, evidence, legal proceedings, and the performance of security institutions. In recent weeks, prominent groups and figures emphasized that the Iranian regime had scapegoated them through a setup case, mirroring a precedent set by the regime.
