Iran – April 20, 2026: The Iran regime executed two members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), Hamed Validi, 45, a civil engineer, and Mohammad (Nima) Massoum Shahi, 38, a technical worker, in the early hours of Monday.
Arrest, Torture, and Sentencing
Validi and Shahi were arrested in Tehran on May 13, 2025, along with relatives, and were subsequently subjected to prolonged interrogations and physical torture. On September 27, 2025, the head of the Iran regime’s judiciary in Alborz province accused them of espionage linked to a 12-day war, despite the fact that their arrest had taken place a month before that conflict began.
In October 2025, the Iran regime’s Revolutionary Court in Karaj sentenced both men to death on charges including “Moharebeh” (waging war against God), “cooperation with hostile groups and the Zionist regime,” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”
Official Claims and International Warnings
To justify the executions, media outlets affiliated with the Iran regime described the two PMOI members as part of a “spy network linked to Mossad.” The Iran regime’s judiciary news agency claimed that they had constructed and transferred explosive projectiles, and that additional equipment and materials were discovered at locations in Karaj, Isfahan, and a safe house in Tehran.
The PMOI had previously submitted the names and details of the two men to the United Nations and human rights organizations in May 2025, shortly after their arrest. Their detention was also publicly announced on September 7, 2025. Following the issuance of their death sentences in late 2025, the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) called for international review of their case.
On April 19, 2026, shortly before the executions, the NCRI issued an urgent warning after learning that the two prisoners had been transferred from Karaj Central Prison to an unknown location.
Broader Wave of Executions
The executions follow the recent execution of six other PMOI members—Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Abolhassan Montazar, and Vahid Bani Amerian. In addition, the Iran regime has executed seven protesters arrested during the nationwide uprisings of December and January: Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghassemi, Saeed Davoudi, Amirhossein Hatami, Mohammad Amin Biglari, Shahin Vahedparast, and Ali Fahim.
These developments come amid a broader pattern of executions targeting political prisoners and individuals detained during recent protests.
