The British Committee for Iran Freedom (BCFIF) has issued an urgent appeal to the UK Government and international allies to intervene and prevent the imminent execution of two Iranian political prisoners, Behrouz Ehsani (70) and Mehdi Hassani (48). Both have been sentenced to death on fabricated charges of rebellion and “waging war against God,” tied to their membership in the democratic opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI).

The two prisoners were recently moved to Qezelhessar Prison, a facility notorious for executions, sparking protests and anti-regime slogans from fellow inmates. Their death sentences, upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, are widely criticized as unjust, with Amnesty International denouncing their trials as grossly unfair and based on confessions extracted under torture. Amnesty has launched urgent appeals this month, calling for a halt to these executions.

This dire situation reflects a broader pattern of repression by the Iranian regime, which increasingly uses executions to suppress dissent. Six other political prisoners were similarly sentenced to death last December for alleged ties to the PMOI, further illustrating the regime’s weaponization of the judiciary to silence opposition.

The BCFIF has called on the UK Government to take immediate action in coordination with international allies to halt these executions, secure the release of detained activists, and impose sanctions on those responsible for Iran’s escalating human rights abuses, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The committee emphasized the critical need for long-term solutions to Iran’s human rights crisis and endorsed Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, which advocates for the abolition of the death penalty, safeguarding of human rights, and a democratic future for Iran.

With over 250 cross-party MPs and Peers in the UK backing this democratic platform, the BCFIF stresses that addressing these injustices is a test of the international community’s resolve to stand against state-sanctioned brutality. The UK and its allies have a vital role to play in defending human rights and supporting the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom and justice.