Iran executes atomic agency worker over ‘spying’ charge, hangs protester as crackdown intensifies
Iran has executed two men for alleged Mossad spying and protest-linked "chaos". Following the recent string of executions, rights groups have accused the Iran administration and judiciary of holding opaque trials and forced confessions.
Iran has carried out two separate executions in recent days, putting to death individuals accused of links to Israel and involvement in anti-government unrest. The executions are part of the Iranian authorities’ wider crackdown that has drawn heavy flak from rights groups.
In the first case, a man identified as Mehdi Farid was executed early Wednesday after being convicted of spying for Israel, reported Iran International. Officials alleged that Farid, who worked at a “sensitive organisation”, had maintained online contact with officers from Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, and passed on classified information, including details related to organisational structures, security arrangements and infrastructure. According to rights groups cited by the media house, Farid was an employee at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
According to the judiciary, reported Iran International, Farid led a non-military defence management committee and had enabled external access to internal systems by connecting servers to infected files and using USB devices, acting on instructions from a Mossad handler. Authorities said he confessed to transferring information in exchange for promises of payment and assistance in leaving the country.
The report stated that Farid was arrested in 2023 and initially sentenced to 10 years in prison before receiving the death penalty after a retrial on espionage charges. They also said he had been held in Tehran’s Greater Tehran prison and later transferred to Evin prison, raising concerns over due process and the use of forced confessions.
The execution comes amid a series of similar cases tied to Iran’s nuclear sector and alleged Israeli links. In recent months, authorities have executed individuals accused of espionage, including a nuclear engineer and a scientist, with rights organisations alleging that such cases often involve opaque legal proceedings and coerced confessions.
In a separate development, Iranian authorities executed another man, Erfan Kiani, on Saturday over his role in anti-establishment protests that took place in January. Judiciary-affiliated media were quoted by Iran International that his death sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran.
Officials accused Kiani of leading a group in Isfahan that engaged in acts such as damaging property, setting fires, using Molotov cocktails, blocking roads and attacking security personnel during the unrest. State media portrayed him as a central figure in efforts to spread “fear and chaos”, linking his actions to what authorities describe as foreign-backed activities.
Earlier this month, authorities executed two men accused of attempting to storm a military facility to access weapons, while another individual was executed over allegations of setting fire to a mosque during the unrest.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly slammed Iran’s use of the death penalty in both espionage and protest-related cases. They argue that trials often fall short of international standards, with convictions frequently based on confessions that may have been obtained under duress.
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Iran has carried out two separate executions in recent days, putting to death individuals accused of links to Israel and involvement in anti-government unrest. The executions are part of the Iranian authorities’ wider crackdown that has drawn heavy flak from rights groups.
In the first case, a man identified as Mehdi Farid was executed early Wednesday after being convicted of spying for Israel, reported Iran International. Officials alleged that Farid, who worked at a “sensitive organisation”, had maintained online contact with officers from Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, and passed on classified information, including details related to organisational structures, security arrangements and infrastructure. According to rights groups cited by the media house, Farid was an employee at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
According to the judiciary, reported Iran International, Farid led a non-military defence management committee and had enabled external access to internal systems by connecting servers to infected files and using USB devices, acting on instructions from a Mossad handler. Authorities said he confessed to transferring information in exchange for promises of payment and assistance in leaving the country.
The report stated that Farid was arrested in 2023 and initially sentenced to 10 years in prison before receiving the death penalty after a retrial on espionage charges. They also said he had been held in Tehran’s Greater Tehran prison and later transferred to Evin prison, raising concerns over due process and the use of forced confessions.
The execution comes amid a series of similar cases tied to Iran’s nuclear sector and alleged Israeli links. In recent months, authorities have executed individuals accused of espionage, including a nuclear engineer and a scientist, with rights organisations alleging that such cases often involve opaque legal proceedings and coerced confessions.
In a separate development, Iranian authorities executed another man, Erfan Kiani, on Saturday over his role in anti-establishment protests that took place in January. Judiciary-affiliated media were quoted by Iran International that his death sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran.
Officials accused Kiani of leading a group in Isfahan that engaged in acts such as damaging property, setting fires, using Molotov cocktails, blocking roads and attacking security personnel during the unrest. State media portrayed him as a central figure in efforts to spread “fear and chaos”, linking his actions to what authorities describe as foreign-backed activities.
Earlier this month, authorities executed two men accused of attempting to storm a military facility to access weapons, while another individual was executed over allegations of setting fire to a mosque during the unrest.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly slammed Iran’s use of the death penalty in both espionage and protest-related cases. They argue that trials often fall short of international standards, with convictions frequently based on confessions that may have been obtained under duress.
