Latest news with #executions
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran crackdown deepens with speedy executions and arrests
Three Iranian men were executed this week on alleged charges of collaborating with Israel, according to the Islamic Republic judiciary, bringing the total number of people put to death on similar charges during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel to six. The hangings were part of the "season of traitor-killing," according to Iran's ISNA News Agency, as Iranian authorities pushed the executions through less than 48 hours after the ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced on Monday. Iran's judiciary said the men were convicted of espionage on behalf of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. However, human rights activists claim the men were Kurdish day-laborers with no access to classified information and were denied fair trials. "This is a very corrupt regime, and there is no due process in Iran," Azadeh Pourzand, a Middle East and human rights expert and a senior fellow and head of the State-Society Relations Unit at the think tank Centre for Middle East and Global Order, told ABC News. The crackdown follows a war with Israel that Iranian authorities say left at least 627 people dead and 4,870 injured, along with major infrastructure damage across the country. Iran's current regime, however, is still maintaining power while many analysts had speculated the possibility of a regime change in the aftermath of the destruction of military infrastructure and the killing of many high ranking military commanders, along with ambiguities about the Iranian supreme leader's health and whereabouts. Given the country's track record in similar situations over nearly half a century of rule, many human rights activists and Iranians inside the country view this "defeated and wounded" phase as, potentially, the regime's most dangerous, especially in terms of repression. Several Iranians who have been against the war told ABC News that they are concerned about the regime taking its revenge on people. "I cried once when the war started, and again when the ceasefire was announced," a 37-year-old woman from Rasht, who declined to be named out of fear of safety concerns, told ABC News. "We fear the Islamic Republic just as much as we fear Israel." Over the course of the 12-day conflict, Iranian intelligence and security forces said they arrested more than 700 people accused of having ties to Israel, according to state affiliate PressTV earlier this week. Sharing deep concerns about the safety of the human rights activists, journalists and women, Pourzand said the regime has already "accelerated its execution machine." Israeli officials have not commented on those arrested for alleged ties to Israel but Mossad Chief David Barnea said this week the Israeli intelligence agency would continue to keep a "close eye" on Iran. "We will continue to keep a close eye on all the projects in Iran that we know very well. We will be there(in Iran), as we have been there until now," Barnea said. Additionally, on June 25, Iran's judiciary announced changes to what it called the "Espionage Law for Dealing with Citizens," with the Intelligence Ministry announcing the formation of a new special committee tasked with monitoring citizens' online activities -- a campaign state media has labeled an "intelligence jihad," highlighting it as part of a broader "national defense" effort. "There are security forces out patrolling the streets in full force. We hardly dare go out," Samira, a 23-year-old student activist in Tehran, told ABC News. "It's an extremely terrifying time. I think we're about to enter a phase of further paralysis and suffocation." Pourzand -- the human rights advocate -- described the post-war atmosphere as a "systematic and rigid form of repression," warning that the new surveillance measures will further tighten control over public dissent and personal freedoms. "This is collective punishment against ordinary people … in order to make a point and instill fear domestically, and to make points internationally," she said. For critics, the Islamic Republic's response follows a well-worn pattern. "This regime has mastered how to own the narrative over the past 47 years," Pourzand said. "They use all sorts of tools -- misinformation, disinformation." The conflict has stirred mixed emotions among Iranians, many of whom are still grappling with the trauma of the state's crackdown that followed the 2022 nationwide "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests that were ignited after the tragic death of Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody. The crackdown left hundreds killed, thousands imprisoned and several executed. The uprising followed years of repression and economic hardship made worse by U.S.-led sanctions on top of widespread regime corruption that has only deepened the public's frustration and despair. Some Iranians initially viewed Israel's early rhetoric about "freeing Iranians" from dictatorship with hope. "The Islamic Republic is a totalitarian regime … which has brought decades of destruction, insecurity, and regional instability," Parham, 36, told ABC News. "Supporting the Iranian people in their quest for freedom is not only a moral imperative but also a pathway toward peace, prosperity, and stability in the region." However, not everyone shares the same sentiment. "It'd be foolish to believe Israel's objective was ever to free us from this regime," Samira said. "They made it clear their only goal was the destruction of Iran's nuclear capabilities." On Thursday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first public appearance since the start of the war, emerging from weeks of absence to deliver a taped televised address to the nation. "This is one of the greatest divine blessings," Khamenei said, referring to Iran's armed forces penetrating multiple layers of Israeli defense systems during the recent conflict. "It shows the Zionist regime that any aggression against the Islamic Republic will come at a cost -- a heavy cost -- and thankfully, that's exactly what happened." However, some now fear that Khamenei's "heavy cost" will ultimately fall on Iranian citizens, as the world's attention shifts elsewhere, leaving them at the mercy of a regime determined to prove it remains in control. "What's already started is quite horrific," Pourzand said. "Unfortunately, I think what's coming will be even worse."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran carries out wave of arrests and executions in wake of Israel conflict
Iranian authorities have carried out a wave of arrests and multiple executions of people suspected of links to Israeli intelligence agencies, in the wake of the recent war between the two countries. It comes after what officials describe as an unprecedented infiltration of Iranian security services by Israeli agents. Authorities suspect information fed to Israel played a part in a series of high-profile assassinations during the conflict. This included the targeted killings of senior commanders from the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and nuclear scientists, which Iran attributes to operatives of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency working inside the country. Shaken by the scale and precision of these killings, authorities have been targeting anyone suspected of working with foreign intelligence, saying it is for the sake of national security. But many fear this is also a way to silence dissent and tighten control over the population. During the 12-day conflict, Iranian authorities executed three people accused of spying for Israel. On Wednesday - just one day after the ceasefire - three more individuals were executed on similar charges. Officials have since announced the arrest of hundreds of suspects across the country on accusations of espionage. State television has aired alleged confessions from several detainees, purportedly admitting to collaboration with Israeli intelligence. Human rights groups and activists have expressed fears over the latest developments, citing Iran's longstanding practice of extracting forced confessions and conducting unfair trials. There are concerns that more executions may follow. Iran's Ministry of Intelligence claims it is engaged in a "relentless battle" against what it calls Western and Israeli intelligence networks - including the CIA, Mossad, and MI6. According to Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, since the beginning of Israel's attack on Iran on 13 June, "the Israeli spy network has become highly active inside the country". Fars reported that over the course of 12 days, Iranian intelligence and security forces arrested "more than 700 individuals linked to this network". Iranians have told BBC Persian they received warning text messages from Iran's intelligence ministry informing them their phone numbers had appeared on social media pages related to Israel. They were instructed to leave these pages or face prosecution. The Iranian government has also stepped up pressure on journalists working for Persian-language media outlets abroad, including BBC Persian and the London-based Iran International and Manoto TV. According to Iran International, the IRGC detained the mother, father, and brother of one of its TV presenters in Tehran to pressure her into resigning over the channel's coverage of the Iran-Israel conflict. The presenter received a phone call from her father - prompted by security agents - urging her to quit and warning of further consequences. When Iran's supreme leader emerges from hiding he will find a very different nation 'We are exhausted' - how Iranians are feeling after fragile ceasefire After the conflict began, threats directed at BBC Persian journalists and their families have become increasingly severe. According to the journalists recently affected, Iranian security officials contacting their families have claimed that, in a wartime context, they are justified in targeting family members as hostages. They have also labelled the journalists as "mohareb" — a term meaning 'one who wages war against God' — a charge that, under Iranian law, can carry the death penalty. Manoto TV has reported similar incidents, including threats against employees' families and demands to cut all ties with the outlet. Some relatives were reportedly threatened with charges such as "enmity against God" and espionage - both capital offences under Iranian law. Analysts view these tactics as part of a broader strategy to silence dissent and intimidate exiled media workers. Security forces have also detained dozens of activists, writers and artists, in many cases without formal charges. There are also reports of arrests targeting family members of those killed during the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" anti-government protests. These actions suggest a broader campaign aimed not only at current activists but also at those connected to previous waves of dissent. During the war, the Iranian government severely restricted access to the internet, and even after the ceasefire, full access has not yet been restored. Limiting internet access during crises, especially during nationwide protests against the government, has become a common pattern by Iran. Additionally, most of the social networks like Instagram, Telegram, X and YouTube, as well as news websites such as BBC Persian, have long been blocked in Iran and cannot be accessed without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) proxy service. Human rights advocates and political observers have drawn parallels to the 1980s, when the Iranian authorities brutally suppressed political opposition during the Iran-Iraq War. Many fear that, in the wake of its weakened international standing after the conflict with Israel, the Iranian authorities may again turn inward, resorting to mass arrests, executions, and heavy-handed repression. Critics point to events of 1988, when, according to human rights groups, thousands of political prisoners - many already serving sentences - were executed following brief, secretive trials by so-called "death commissions." Most victims were buried in unmarked mass graves.
Japan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Serial killer on death row executed
A 34-year-old man on death row for killing nine people in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2017 was executed Friday, according to media reports. It was the first time since July 2022 that a death row inmate was executed, and the first under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration. Takahiro Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 by the Tokyo District Court's Tachikawa branch, which described his acts as a 'malicious crime in criminal history' for killing nine people in the space of two months. The ruling was later finalized. According to the ruling, Shiraishi killed a man and eight women between the ages of 15 and 26 in his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, targeting those who had expressed suicidal thoughts on social media.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Iran carries out wave of arrests and executions in wake of Israel conflict
Iranian authorities have carried out a wave of arrests and multiple executions of people suspected of links to Israeli intelligence agencies, in the wake of the recent war between the two comes after what officials describe as an unprecedented infiltration of Iranian security services by Israeli suspect information fed to Israel played a part in a series of high-profile assassinations during the conflict. This included the targeted killings of senior commanders from the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and nuclear scientists, which Iran attributes to operatives of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency working inside the by the scale and precision of these killings, authorities have been targeting anyone suspected of working with foreign intelligence, saying it is for the sake of national many fear this is also a way to silence dissent and tighten control over the the 12-day conflict, Iranian authorities executed three people accused of spying for Israel. On Wednesday - just one day after the ceasefire - three more individuals were executed on similar have since announced the arrest of hundreds of suspects across the country on accusations of espionage. State television has aired alleged confessions from several detainees, purportedly admitting to collaboration with Israeli rights groups and activists have expressed fears over the latest developments, citing Iran's longstanding practice of extracting forced confessions and conducting unfair trials. There are concerns that more executions may Ministry of Intelligence claims it is engaged in a "relentless battle" against what it calls Western and Israeli intelligence networks - including the CIA, Mossad, and to Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, since the beginning of Israel's attack on Iran on 13 June, "the Israeli spy network has become highly active inside the country". Fars reported that over the course of 12 days, Iranian intelligence and security forces arrested "more than 700 individuals linked to this network".Iranians have told BBC Persian they received warning text messages from Iran's intelligence ministry informing them their phone numbers had appeared on social media pages related to Israel. They were instructed to leave these pages or face Iranian government has also stepped up pressure on journalists working for Persian-language media outlets abroad, including BBC Persian and the London-based Iran International and Manoto to Iran International, the IRGC detained the mother, father, and brother of one of its TV presenters in Tehran to pressure her into resigning over the channel's coverage of the Iran-Israel conflict. The presenter received a phone call from her father - prompted by security agents - urging her to quit and warning of further consequences. After the conflict began, threats directed at BBC Persian journalists and their families have become increasingly severe. According to the journalists recently affected, Iranian security officials contacting their families have claimed that, in a wartime context, they are justified in targeting family members as hostages. They have also labelled the journalists as "mohareb" — a term meaning 'one who wages war against God' — a charge that, under Iranian law, can carry the death TV has reported similar incidents, including threats against employees' families and demands to cut all ties with the outlet. Some relatives were reportedly threatened with charges such as "enmity against God" and espionage - both capital offences under Iranian view these tactics as part of a broader strategy to silence dissent and intimidate exiled media forces have also detained dozens of activists, writers and artists, in many cases without formal charges. There are also reports of arrests targeting family members of those killed during the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" anti-government actions suggest a broader campaign aimed not only at current activists but also at those connected to previous waves of the war, the Iranian government severely restricted access to the internet, and even after the ceasefire, full access has not yet been restored. Limiting internet access during crises, especially during nationwide protests against the government, has become a common pattern by Iran. Additionally, most of the social networks like Instagram, Telegram, X and YouTube, as well as news websites such as BBC Persian, have long been blocked in Iran and cannot be accessed without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) proxy rights advocates and political observers have drawn parallels to the 1980s, when the Iranian authorities brutally suppressed political opposition during the Iran-Iraq fear that, in the wake of its weakened international standing after the conflict with Israel, the Iranian authorities may again turn inward, resorting to mass arrests, executions, and heavy-handed point to events of 1988, when, according to human rights groups, thousands of political prisoners - many already serving sentences - were executed following brief, secretive trials by so-called "death commissions." Most victims were buried in unmarked mass graves.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran hangs three more accused of spying as fears grow for Swede
Iran on Wednesday hanged three men convicted of spying for Israel after what activists decried as an unfair trial, bringing to six the number of people executed on such charges since the start of the war between the Islamic republic and Israel. 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
