Tehran, Iran – In a new escalation of its iron-fisted crackdown on dissidents, Iranian authorities executed two political prisoners, Hamed Validi and Nima Shahi, early Monday morning. They were convicted of belonging to the opposition group, the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). This brings the number of executions of PMOI/MEK members to eight in less than three weeks, sparking widespread international condemnation from human rights organizations.
Details of the arrest and trial
Authorities arrested Hamed Validi, 45, a civil engineer, and Nima Shahi, 38, a technician, on May 13, 2025, in Tehran. Reports indicate that the two men were subjected to prolonged interrogation and torture before being sentenced to death in October 2025. The Iranian judiciary’s news agency justified the executions by accusing them of manufacturing and transporting explosive projectiles, citing the discovery of “organizational houses” in Tehran, Karaj, and Isfahan containing materials used in mortar shell production. However, the Iranian judiciary faced sharp criticism for accusing them of espionage related to the so-called “Twelve-Day War,” despite their arrest predating the war by a full month. Observers considered this a legal loophole that undermined the official narrative.
International warnings and final appeals
Hours before their execution, the Iranian Resistance and human rights organizations issued urgent appeals to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council to intervene and save the lives of Validi and Shahi, emphasizing that their names had already been submitted to international bodies as prisoners of conscience facing imminent death. With the execution of Validi and Shahi today, they join a list that includes six others executed since March 30: Vahid Bani Amrian, Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghavi, and Babak Alipour.
Human rights organizations’ reaction
The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reiterated its call to refer the issue of executions in Iran to an international fact-finding body, asserting that the escalating pace of executions reflects the regime’s attempt to intimidate the public and silence any dissenting voices amidst the internal and regional crises facing the country. Analysts believe that Tehran’s insistence on carrying out these sentences despite international appeals will place Iran’s human rights record in direct confrontation with the international community during upcoming UN meetings.
