Iran Orders Courts to Speed Up Execution Cases as Activists Warn of Rising Hangings

Iran’s top judiciary official has instructed courts to hasten the issuance of verdicts, including death sentences, amid the ongoing US-Israeli conflict, raising alarm among rights groups over an increase in executions of alleged political detainees.

Judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei made the call during a televised meeting on Tuesday, urging faster judicial action in cases linked to espionage and wartime allegations.

“You need to speed up the issuing of sentences for executions and the confiscation of property,” he told senior officials.

He stressed that, under espionage laws, courts must act swiftly against those accused of assisting hostile forces.

“Using existing laws on punishing espionage, ‘it is necessary to continue issuing judicial verdicts for elements and agents of the aggressor enemy with greater speed,’” he added.

Since hostilities began on February 28, Iran has executed several individuals connected to January protests, including members of the outlawed People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) and a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen accused of spying for Israel.

Activists say dozens more remain at risk of execution following protest-related arrests or accusations of aiding enemy forces during the conflict.

Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate living in exile, criticised the government’s stance, stating on Telegram that authorities are prioritising repression over protection of citizens.

“…the Islamic republic’s response is to accelerate executions, repression and confiscation of the opposition’s property,” she said.

Iranian officials have labelled those sentenced as “terrorists” aligned with foreign adversaries, while human rights organisations argue that many convictions were delivered through unfair judicial processes.

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, a US-based rights group, said the executions appear aimed at instilling fear and tightening societal control during wartime.

“In the midst of the ongoing war, the execution of death sentences for protesters and political prisoners through non-transparent and hasty processes is seen as an attempt to instill fear and maintain control over society,” the group said.

Separately, police chief Ahmad Reza Radan announced that 85 people had been detained across 25 provinces over alleged involvement in a coordinated network transmitting sensitive location data to Iran’s adversaries.

“The confessions of the accused and the full details of how they collaborated with the enemy will be published soon,” he said, according to state media.

Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns that confessions in such cases may be obtained through coercion and later disseminated publicly.

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