HRANA – The Judiciary’s Media Center announced the execution of Aghil (Aqil) Keshavarz on charges of espionage. The death sentence was carried out at dawn today, December 20, in Urmia Prison.
The Judiciary’s Media Center described the charge against the prisoner as espionage for Israel, claiming: “Based on the contents of the case file, Aghil Keshavarz established contact with the Israeli army and the Mossad through cyberspace and began cooperating by sending messages and information. In order to gain trust, he sent details of several warehouses and suspicious buildings and was gradually encouraged to carry out further missions.”
The judiciary claims that until the time of his arrest, Keshavarz had carried out more than 200 missions in the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Urmia, and Shahrud. These missions reportedly included photographing locations, placing transmitters, conducting opinion polling, and assessing traffic conditions on roads.
The statement further alleges that Keshavarz knowingly cooperated with Israeli intelligence services and “groups affiliated with the Monafeqin,” providing them with information and images related to sensitive sites. According to these claims, he received payments in cryptocurrency in exchange for these actions.
It should be noted that in the terminology of the Islamic Republic, the terms “nefaq” (hypocrisy) and “Monafeqin” are used to refer to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), one of the opposition groups to the Iranian government.
After the conclusion of the investigation, an indictment was issued against Aghil Keshavarz on charges of espionage in favor of Israel, and his case was referred to court. Relying on evidence presented by security institutions as well as confessions attributed to the defendant, the court sentenced him to death. The verdict was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court.
In part of its statement, the judiciary also referred to this prisoner’s educational and family background. According to these details, Aghil Keshavarz, son of Javad, left his studies in mining engineering and later continued his education in architecture. Additionally, judicial authorities claimed that some members of his family held political views opposed to the system, and that his uncle had a history of membership in or support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. According to the judiciary, Keshavarz had previously also carried out activities related to this group.
Although combating espionage is not considered a human rights violation in itself, given the Iranian government’s record of instrumentalizing such charges to target political opponents, raising such allegations, particularly in the absence of clear details about the case and judicial process, is always viewed with skepticism.