The line is crackly. But the voice of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh is clear and, given the circumstances, surprisingly steady. He's on death row in western Iran. He speaks quickly - as if time is running out. And his message is desperate. 'You are hearing my voice from Oromiyeh Central Prison, and this may be the last time you hear it,' he says in a voice note obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. 'From the very first day of my arrest, they forced confessions out of me through torture and threats, confessions that were entirely false. None of the charges against me are true. They know it, and God knows it. I am innocent.'
Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly. He was accused of involvement in the killing of a member of Iran's Basij militia force. After 42 months of fear and sleepless nights, he was put to death earlier this month - part of a surge in executions of people on political and security charges. Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it's verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners. This marks a sharp year-on-year increase, with 45 executions on politically motivated charges taking place across the whole of 2025, according to Amnesty International.
The UN's Human Rights Office has warned the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent. Several of those killed this year were accused of spying for Israel or the CIA, while some were accused of being affiliated with an exiled opposition group. They weaponise the death penalty as a tool of political repression, to instil fear among the population, and essentially crush and stifle any dissent that there might be.
Iranian authorities did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on their increased use of the death penalty. But on 30 April, the head of Iran's judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, dismissed international criticism of death sentences linked to January's unrest, saying that his courts would not be swayed. As tensions continue to rise, the impact of this surge in executions has left many families shattered, while activists call for urgent attention to human rights abuses.
Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly. He was accused of involvement in the killing of a member of Iran's Basij militia force. After 42 months of fear and sleepless nights, he was put to death earlier this month - part of a surge in executions of people on political and security charges. Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it's verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners. This marks a sharp year-on-year increase, with 45 executions on politically motivated charges taking place across the whole of 2025, according to Amnesty International.
The UN's Human Rights Office has warned the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent. Several of those killed this year were accused of spying for Israel or the CIA, while some were accused of being affiliated with an exiled opposition group. They weaponise the death penalty as a tool of political repression, to instil fear among the population, and essentially crush and stifle any dissent that there might be.
Iranian authorities did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on their increased use of the death penalty. But on 30 April, the head of Iran's judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, dismissed international criticism of death sentences linked to January's unrest, saying that his courts would not be swayed. As tensions continue to rise, the impact of this surge in executions has left many families shattered, while activists call for urgent attention to human rights abuses.
