Iran hangs three more accused of spying as fears grow for Swede
The hangings have also amplified fears for the life of Swedish-Iranian dual national Ahmadreza Djalali who has been on death row for seven-and-a-half years after being convicted of spying for Israel which his family vehemently denies.
The executions also bring to nine the number of people executed by Iran on espionage charges since the start of 2025, with activists accusing the Islamic republic of using capital punishment as a means to instil fear in society.
Idris Ali, Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul and Azad Shojai were executed earlier Wednesday in the northwestern city of Urmia, the judiciary said, the day after a truce between the Islamic republic and Israel came into effect.
They had "attempted to import equipment into the country to carry out assassinations," it added.
Iran had executed three other men accused of spying for Israel since the start of the conflict on June 13, in separate hangings on June 16, June 22 and June 23.
"The Islamic Republic sentenced Idris Ali, Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul, and Azad Shojai to death without a fair trial and based on confessions obtained under torture, accusing them of espionage," Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), told AFP.
He said Ali and Shojai were two border porters -- known locally as kolbar -- who carry goods over the border.
"They were arrested on charges of smuggling alcoholic beverages but were forced to confess to espionage for Israel," he said. Ali and Shojai were members of Iran's Kurdish minority while Rasoul, while also Kurdish, was an Iraqi national.
- 'Imminent risk' -
He warned that in the coming weeks the lives of "hundreds" more prisoners sentenced to death were at risk. "After the ceasefire with Israel, the Islamic republic needs more repression to cover up military failures, prevent protests, and ensure its continued survival."
Djalali was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to death in October 2017 on charges of spying following what Amnesty International has termed "a grossly unfair trial" based on "'forced confessions' made under torture and other ill-treatment."
Long held in Tehran's Evin prison, which was hit by an Israeli strike on Monday before the truce, he has now been transferred to an unknown location, raising fears that his execution could be imminent, his family and government said.
"He called me and said, 'They're going to transfer me.' I asked where, and he said, 'I don't know,'" his wife Vida Mehrannia told AFP.
"Is it because they want to carry out the sentence? Or for some other reason? I don't know," she said, adding that she was "very worried" following the latest executions.
The Swedish foreign ministry said it had received information that he has been moved to an "unknown location" and warned there would be "serious consequences" for Sweden's relationship with Iran were he to be executed.
Amnesty International said Tuesday it was "gravely concerned" that he "is at imminent risk of execution".
- 'Grossly unfair trials' -
Rights groups say defendants in espionage cases are often convicted under vaguely-worded charges which are capital crimes under Iran's sharia law including "enmity against god" and "corruption on earth".
Analysts say that Israel's intelligence service Mossad has deeply penetrated Iran, as shown by its ability to locate and kill key members of the Iranian security forces in the conflict. But rights groups say that those executed are used as scapegoats to make up for Iran's failure to catch the actual spies.
Iran's judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei had ordered swift trials against people suspected of collaborating with Israel with rights groups saying dozens of people have been arrested since the conflict started.
"A rush to execute people after torture-tainted 'confessions' and grossly unfair trials would be a horrifying abuse of power and a blatant assault on the right to life," said Hussein Baoumi, deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
According to IHR, Iran has executed 594 people on all charges this year alone. Iran executes more people every year than any nation other than China.
sjw/ekf/giv
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Eurovision Organisers Speak Out After Broadcasters Hold Discussions About Israel's Involvement
Eurovision organisers have confirmed that discussions were held with its participating broadcasters this week about whether Israel should remain part of the competition moving forward. Israel's involvement in Eurovision has long been a controversial issue due to the political situation in the Middle East. However, in the last few years, some fans have been calling for Israel's expulsion from the competition due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. In the lead-up to this year's event, many public figures associated with the contest – including then-reigning winner Nemo from Switzerland – urged organisers to ban Israel from Eurovision, similar to how Russia has been excluded since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. National broadcasters for Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain have all raised questions about Israel's participation in Eurovision in the last few months. The Palestine-led BDS movement has also called for a boycott of the competition for the last two years. Earlier this week, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) held a meeting with its participating national broadcasters in London, to discuss several issues relating to the Eurovision Song Contest, including whether Israel should be invited back in 2026. A statement released on Thursday said: 'At today's EBU General Assembly, Members held an open and constructive discussion on the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) and the increasingly complex global context in which it takes place. 'The Assembly was a chance to celebrate the success of ESC 2025 - not just in terms of its record-breaking reach and engagement but in terms of its cultural resonance and ability to foster inclusivity, creativity, and a sense of belonging on a world stage. 'But of course, despite its extraordinary success, the Eurovision Song Contest, like many other events, is not immune to the pressures of global politics. Questions around participation have become increasingly sensitive and multifaceted, and our Members hold a wide range of perspectives on these issues which they were able to express in detail today.' The statement continued: 'Members had a constructive exchange of views. There was a shared understanding that this is an unprecedentedly complex situation and there is a wide diversity of opinions. 'Members also expressed their support for the work of the Israeli public broadcaster Kan and its independence, noting the pressure it is repeatedly experiencing from the Israeli government.' 'To help us navigate the current landscape, a former senior TV executive has now been invited to lead a structured and in-depth dialogue with our Member broadcasters in the coming weeks,' the EBU's spokesperson concluded. 'They will engage with Directors General and other stakeholders to gather insights on how we manage participation, geopolitical tensions, and how other organisations have approached similar challenges. They will report back with recommendations this autumn.' According to the English-language Israeli news site Ynet, the debate on Thursday lasted around 90 minutes, with Austria, Germany and Switzerland's broadcasters being the only ones to vocally back Israel's participation next year. It was also claimed that the BBC had 'called to avoid a vote' on the matter, and 'instead supported further dialogue'. In the end, no vote took place, although so-called EBU 'sources' apparently told Ynet that 'further discussions will be inevitable' if the war continues. Eurovision previously said: 'We understand the concerns and deeply held views around the current conflict in the Middle East. 'The EBU is not immune to global events but, together with our members, it is our role to ensure the Contest remains – at its heart – a universal event that promotes connections, diversity and inclusion through music. 'We all aspire to keep the Eurovision Song Contest positive and inclusive and aspire to show the world as it could be, rather than how it necessarily is.' They added: 'As a reminder, the EBU is an association of public service broadcasters, not governments, who are all eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest every year if they meet the requisite requirements. It is not our role to make comparisons between conflicts.' Reigning Eurovision Winner JJ Calls For Israel To Be Removed From The Contest Remember Monday Speak Out About Getting Zero Points From Eurovision Viewers Eurovision Organisers Confirm Spanish Broadcaster Was Spoken To Over Pro-Palestine Message
Fox News
39 minutes ago
- Fox News
Liberal pundit says US is the 'bad guy on world stage,' should face international sanctions like North Korea
Far-left political commentator Elie Mystal told "The Joy Reid Show" on Wednesday that the U.S. should be treated like a rogue state by the international community. "Our country needs to be sanctioned. We are the bad guys on the world stage. We are a menace to not only free people everywhere, but we are a menace to peaceful people everywhere at this point, and I'm not even going to say that we've only been a menace for the past three or four months," Mystal told Joy Reid. Mystal cited President Donald Trump's airstrikes against Iran's nuclear program facilities in June, claiming the U.S. "should be sanctioned and rebuked" for such "illegal unnecessary bombings in Iran." "When does the international community decide that enough is enough? I know we're rich. I know we've got a lot of money. I know that people want to buy things from our country because we're rich or want to sell things to our country because we're rich, but at some point the international community has to stand up to us, because we are a bad guy on the world stage, right, and so we should be sanctioned," he added. Trump's strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities struck a blow to the rogue state's nuclear program. Shortly after the strikes, Trump declared Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire after missile exchanges, claiming the "12-day war" would end. Trump is also working on a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Despite recent events in the Middle East, Mystal maintains that the United States needs to be treated like a "rogue state." "We have to be stopped through the same kind of means that we have that our country and others have used to rebuke North Korea or China or name a rogue state," he said. "We are the rogue state and other countries need to start treating us like that." Mystal did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News
39 minutes ago
- Fox News
President Trump to honor Iran strike flight team at the White House
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Iowa on Thursday night, President Donald Trump announced that the military flight team that launched the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities will be honored at the White House on Independence Day. Trump said that he took issue with early media reports suggesting that the strikes on Iran only partially damaged the targets because he considered it an insult to the "great" American military members who executed the mission. "Remember when CNN said it wasn't obliterated? It was maybe damaged or damaged badly, but obliterated is too strong a word. No, it was obliterated. That's now been proven," said Trump. "They were trying to demean me by saying that, but they were really demeaning those great pilots and people and mechanics that got those planes over there and were able to shoot from high up in the air, going very, very fast, with potentially a lot of things being shot at them, and hit every single one," he said. "They're trying to demean me, but to me, they were demeaning them. And they got out of the plane, and they said, 'What? We hit every single target.' They know better than anybody." "These people did one of the greatest military hits and maneuvers in the history of our country, and I want them to be appreciated for it," the president went on. "So, they're coming. They're coming to the White House tomorrow night." "They're going to be in Washington tomorrow at the White House, and we're going to be celebrating." Trump said the White House will host not only the pilots, but the entire flight crew, including "the people that flew the other planes" and "the mechanics that had these planes going for 37 hours without a stop." "China, Russia, they were all watching. Everybody was watching," he said. "We have the greatest equipment anywhere in the world. We have the greatest people anywhere in the world, and we have the strongest military anywhere in the world." During his address on Thursday, Trump also claimed that Iran called ahead of their retaliatory strike on the U.S. military base in Qatar to clear the attack with the White House. "They called me to tell me they have to take a shot at us. This was Iran. Very respectful. That means they respect us because we dropped 14 bombs. They said we'd like to take 14 shots at you. I said, 'Go ahead, I understand,'" he said. "They said where they would do it. I said, 'Good.' We emptied out the fort. It was a beautiful military base in Qatar who treated us really fantastically well," he said. Trump claimed that Iran went so far as to ask what time of day would be acceptable for their retaliatory strike. "They said, 'Sir, is 1:00 okay?' I said it was fine, [they said], 'We could make it later.' And we had nobody but four gunners," he said. "So, all of a sudden, they said, 'We're ready.' And they were a little nervous about doing it. I want to tell, you can you imagine, they were nice enough – this is Iran – to call me and tell me that they would like to shoot me at 14 times, so they want to shoot us. And I said, go ahead. And they shot 14 high grade, very fast missiles every single one of them was shot down routinely by these four unbelievable gunmen. And they did their job. And that was the end of that."
