Amir Hassan Akbari-Monfared, a 23-year-old accounting student held in Evin Prison, faces execution after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence over alleged membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence against Amir Hassan Akbari-Monfared, a 23-year-old accounting student imprisoned in Evin Prison, on charges of baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
On Sunday, October 11, 2026, an official described as a deputy warden at Evin Prison, accompanied by two other individuals—one reportedly representing the Ministry of Intelligence and wearing a mask—delivered the decision to Akbari-Monfared. The ruling was issued by Branch 41 of the Supreme Court.
Prison authorities also presented him with forms requesting clemency and a written expression of repentance and disavowal of the PMOI. Akbari-Monfared did not sign or accept the documents as presented and referred the matter to his lawyer.
With the Supreme Court’s decision, Akbari-Monfared remains at imminent risk of execution.
Arrested and tortured in Evin Prison
Akbari-Monfared was arrested on January 19, 2025, at his family home in Karaj, a day after the killing of senior judicial officials Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh in an incident referred to as the “Abdar-chi” case.
According to information about his case, a heavily armed group of agents wearing bulletproof vests raided the home and arrested him before transferring him to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, a detention facility associated with the Ministry of Intelligence. He was reportedly subjected to five months of torture in Ward 241 of Evin as interrogators sought to extract information or confessions.
The account of his case maintains that Akbari-Monfared had no involvement in, or prior knowledge of, the incident involving Razini and Moghiseh. Nevertheless, his arrest took place in its immediate aftermath, and he was subsequently prosecuted over alleged membership in the PMOI.
The case has also been linked to the authorities’ targeting of relatives of PMOI members. Akbari-Monfared’s family relationship with Farshid Asadi, a deceased PMOI member, was cited in accounts of the prosecution as a factor behind the sentence.
Death sentence issued by Tehran Revolutionary Court
On July 23, 2026, Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, sentenced Akbari-Monfared to death on the charge of baghi through membership in the PMOI.
The Supreme Court’s confirmation now leaves the sentence in force and places him at risk of execution. His case adds to concerns over the use of national-security charges and capital punishment against political prisoners accused of links to the organized opposition.
Information about the broader case also describes pressure on Akbari-Monfared’s family following his arrest. Two days after he was detained, security agents reportedly raided the family home again and arrested his father, Mohammad Akbari-Monfared, a former political prisoner who had previously been detained in the 1980s and in connection with the 2022 uprising. Interrogators subsequently threatened family members and demanded information about any links to the PMOI.
An urgent threat to a young prisoner
The Supreme Court’s decision leaves Akbari-Monfared facing execution despite the reported absence of any connection between him and the incident involving the two judicial officials. His case raises serious concerns about the treatment of political prisoners, the use of torture in detention, and pressure on families associated with Iran’s organized opposition.
Akbari-Monfared remains imprisoned in Evin Prison. With his death sentence upheld, urgent attention to his case is critical to preventing his execution.