TEHRAN, Iran (BN240 — Iranian authorities have executed two men affiliated with the outlawed Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) organization for launching attacks on civilian infrastructure using improvised projectiles, the judiciary’s official news agency Mizan reported Sunday, amid fresh international condemnation over the fairness of their trial.
The executions of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani-Eslamloo, whom authorities labeled as “operational elements” of the exiled MEK group, were carried out following a September 2024 death sentence that was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court. The court denied the men’s request for a retrial, finalizing the sentence after more than a year of legal proceedings, according to Mizan.
In its report, Mizan stated the men were involved in the construction of homemade launchers and hand-held mortars under the direction of MEK leadership abroad. Authorities alleged that the two launched projectiles indiscriminately at civilian areas, including residential buildings, public service offices, schools, and charitable facilities, as part of an effort to “undermine national security.”
The two were convicted of “moharebeh,” an Islamic legal term meaning “waging war against God,” as well as membership in a terrorist organization and the destruction of public property.
International human rights groups condemned the executions. Amnesty International had earlier described the trial as “grossly unfair,” asserting that the defendants were denied legal representation during interrogations and were subjected to torture, including prolonged solitary confinement and beatings, to extract forced confessions.
“According to informed sources, agents interrogated them without lawyers present and subjected them to torture and other ill-treatment… to extract self-incriminating statements,” Amnesty said in a January report.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights noted a surge in executions in Iran in 2024, reporting at least 901 cases — the highest total recorded since 2015.
The MEK, also known as the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, was once a prominent revolutionary group that targeted the shah’s regime and U.S. interests in the 1970s. It later fell out with other factions during the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has since operated from exile, with its political leadership now based in Paris. Although previously designated a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union, it was delisted by both in 2012.
Iran has consistently accused the MEK of attempting to destabilize the state and orchestrating violent plots from abroad. The group denies involvement in recent attacks inside the country and has not commented on the executions.
