Iran executes six accused of links to banned opposition organization

Six people sentenced to death on charges of belonging to the banned organization People’s Mujahideen of Iran have been hanged in Iran, AFP reports. Among those executed was 34-year-old physics teacher Vahid Baniamerian. His relatives claim that the family and lawyer were not notified in advance of the execution.

Human rights activists note a sharp increase in the number of executions against the backdrop of the war with the United States and Israel. According to Iran Human Rights, since the start of the war, 24 people have been executed for participating in the January protests, another 13 for alleged ties to the “People’s Mujahideen” and other banned groups, and ten for espionage.

In total, more than 400 people have been executed in Iran since the beginning of 2026, most in drug and murder cases. About a hundred political prisoners have already been sentenced to death, with more than 70 of them being held in one Dastgerd prison in Isfahan.

Inmates at Gezel Hesar Prison in Karaj have been holding a sit-in since July 13 against the execution of drug offenders.