Tehran, Iran – In a move that drew widespread condemnation from human rights organizations, Iranian authorities executed political prisoner and dissident Sultan Ali Shirzadi Fakhr on Thursday morning, May 23, 2026.
The judiciary’s Mizan News Agency announced that the execution followed the Supreme Court’s confirmation of his death sentence on charges including “enmity against God.” The charges also included membership in the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and collaboration with the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency.
Vague accusations and unclear circumstances
According to the official report, authorities presented Shirzadi as a long-time opposition member. They claimed he received training at Camp Ashraf in Iraq in the 1980s and participated in previous military operations.
The Iranian judiciary alleged that Shirzadi returned to Iran from exile in Spain under the pretext of “visiting his family.” However, they claimed he was tasked with a “secret project” for Mossad.
The report, however, provided no details about the date of his arrest or his access to legal counsel. Furthermore, it failed to disclose the circumstances surrounding the “confessions” upon which the verdict was based, raising serious doubts about the fairness of the legal proceedings.
Record rise in political executions
The execution of Shirzadi comes amid a surge in repression in Iran, coinciding with military and regional tensions.
According to the human rights organization HRANA, at least 18 protesters and political prisoners were executed in May alone. This figure represents more than a third of all political executions recorded in the entirety of last year.
Statistics indicate that the monthly rate of political executions in Iran has nearly quadrupled (a 315% increase) compared to the previous year’s average. Observers believe the Islamic Republic has departed from its traditional approach to security matters, resorting to accelerating the pace of executions and using the death penalty as a tool to intimidate the domestic population amidst external crises.
