April 8, 2025 – Mashhad, Iran — In a chilling display of brutality, the Iranian regime executed five political prisoners in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad, after holding them in detention for nearly a decade. The executions were carried out without prior notice and denied the prisoners a final meeting with their families.
The victims—Farhad Shakeri, Taj Mohammad Khormali, Abdolrahman Gorgij, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij, and Malek Fadaei—had been arrested in 2015 and 2019. They were sentenced to death on charges of baghi (armed rebellion) by the infamous Judge Davoodabadi of Branch 1 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, a figure known for issuing harsh verdicts in political cases.
These executions are part of a broader crackdown. Three other individuals connected to the same case—Hamid Rastbala, Kabir Sa’adat Jahani, and Mohammad Ali Arayesh—were previously executed on December 31, 2020, following similar proceedings.
Reacting to the executions, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), condemned the killings as part of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s strategy to suppress dissent and prevent future uprisings.
“With these relentless crimes, Khamenei seeks to extinguish the flames of resistance,” Rajavi said. “But such atrocities only deepen the resolve of Iran’s rebellious youth to rise up against tyranny.”
She warned that international silence and inaction in response to the regime’s ongoing human rights abuses only embolden the ruling clerics to commit more violence and export terrorism.
“This regime is a stain on contemporary humanity. Failure to hold it accountable sends a dangerous message: that it can continue its crimes without consequence.”
The executions mark yet another grim chapter in the Iranian regime’s escalating campaign of repression, which continues to draw condemnation from human rights organizations and Iranian opposition groups worldwide.
