Iranian Conflict: ‘This Might Be My Last Voice,’ Rising ‘Political Death Sentences’

This might sound faint, but Merab Abdollahzadeh’s voice is clear and remarkably calm given the circumstances in which he speaks.

He is awaiting execution in western Iran. He speaks quickly, as if he has little time left, trying to convey a crucial message.

“You are hearing my voice from Aramieh Central Prison, and this may be the last time you hear me,” he said in a voice note obtained by the Kurdish Human Rights Network.

“From the day of my arrest, they tortured and threatened me, forcing me to confess to false charges. None of the accusations against me are true. Both they and God know that I am innocent.”

Merab was arrested in 2022 during nationwide protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly. He has been accused of involvement in the murder of a member of Iran’s Basij militia.

After enduring terrifying nights for 42 weeks, Merab was sentenced to death earlier this month. He is among an increasing number of people in Iran receiving death sentences on political and security-related charges.

Since February 28, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, the United Nations has confirmed that 32 political prisoners have been executed.

This marks a substantial rise in death sentences compared to previous years. According to Amnesty International, 45 political executions took place in 2025.

The UN Human Rights Office has warned about the increasing use of the death penalty to silence political dissent.

Among those executed this year, many faced accusations of spying for Israeli or US intelligence agencies like the CIA, while others were arrested for affiliations with opposition groups.

Fourteen of them were detained for participating in protests in January, where state forces used extreme force to suppress demonstrations that resulted in thousands of deaths.

“The Iranian government carries out executions by hanging, often completing these early in the morning,” says Nasim Papayani of Amnesty International. “People in Iran hear about death sentences almost every day.”

“They have weaponized the death penalty as a political repression tool, spreading fear among the population and suppressing dissent.”

Although some death sentences have been publicly announced, there are concerns that others have been carried out secretly.

Amnesty International reports that in the past year, Iran executed 2,159 people—the highest figure since 1989. Most of those executed faced charges related to drugs or murder.

The UN expects this number to rise further. According to Kawa Kermanshahi from the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Iran’s government is increasing the use of executions to reinforce its weakened rule after January’s protests and the ongoing conflict.

“Facing multiple internal and external crises, the regime uses repression and executions to demonstrate its power and to show that it remains in control,” he explained.

Last month, state television reported the execution of 21-year-old karate champion Sasan Azadvar from central Isfahan. He was accused of “waging war against the regime” and “collaborating with enemies” by attacking police during January’s protests.

Sasan was also accused of using a baton to break a police car window and of carrying petrol to set fires. However, international law sets a higher threshold of crime for death penalty sentences than those alleged against him.

Iranian authorities did not respond to requests for comment on the executions of Sardar Azadvar and others, or the growing use of the death penalty and allegations of torture.

However, in addressing the January unrest, the government has stated it will not yield to international criticism over death sentences.

Human rights activists have accused the government of disproportionately applying the death penalty against minority communities.

Twenty-nine-year-old aerospace engineering student Irfan Shakorzadeh was hanged on May 11. The Iranian court found him guilty of leaking confidential information to Israeli and US intelligence agencies.

However, a note he wrote prior to his execution was published by the Norwegian human rights organization Hengho.

“I was arrested on exaggerated charges of leaking confidential information. After eight and a half months of torture and solitary confinement, I was forced to confess to false charges. Let us not allow innocent people to die silently,” he wrote.

Hengho has expressed serious concerns about opaque judicial proceedings and the widespread use of the death penalty.

In a message sent from prison before his execution, Merab Abdollahzadeh described the anguish of awaiting death.

“Those who receive death sentences spend every moment wondering when they will be called to be hanged. A person awaiting execution can only find some peace after 1 a.m., when the anxiety pauses for a while,” he said.

According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Merab’s family and lawyer were not informed before his execution, and his body has not been returned to his family.

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