Iran Executes Two PMOI/MEK Members Amid Escalating Crackdown on Dissent as US-Israeli War Intensifies

Iran has executed two men convicted of being members of the banned People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) opposition group, marking a fresh escalation in the regime's crackdown on dissent even as the US-Israeli war on Iran intensifies. Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian were hanged on Saturday after Iran's Supreme Court upheld their death sentences, which were originally handed down by a Revolutionary Court for charges including "armed rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist acts."

The executions come amid a deepening crisis for Iran, where the government has increasingly turned to the death penalty to suppress opposition voices. The two men, according to the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website, were tried and their sentences confirmed by the Supreme Court earlier this month. Their convictions tie them directly to the PMOI/MEK, a group that once supported the 1979 Islamic revolution but later fell out with Iran's leadership and was designated a "terrorist" organization by Tehran. The group now operates in exile, continuing its decades-long campaign against the Iranian regime.

This is not the first time Iran has executed PMOI/MEK members. Four other individuals—Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, and Pouya Ghobadi—were put to death on March 30 and 31, according to the PMOI/MEK's website. All six men were arrested and convicted in late 2024, the group claims, as part of a broader pattern of repression targeting dissidents.

The PMOI/MEK has condemned the executions as a "futile" attempt to silence opposition. In an April 2 statement, the group said the regime's actions would only fuel the resolve of Iran's youth to overthrow the government. "These brutal executions will not silence the opposition; instead, they will only intensify the resolve of Iran's rebellious youth to overthrow the regime," the group declared.

Human rights groups have also raised alarms about the scale and brutality of Iran's crackdown. Amnesty International accused Iranian authorities of torturing the men while in custody and then transferring them to an unknown location shortly before their executions. The organization warned that more executions are likely, including of protesters arrested during mass antigovernment demonstrations in January, when thousands were killed.

Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, called the executions "unconscionable," noting that Iran continues to weaponize the death penalty even as its population suffers from the fallout of US-Israeli airstrikes. "The authorities are using the death penalty to erase dissenting voices and further terrorize people," she said.

Iran's use of the death penalty has intensified since the war began on February 28. In March, Kouroush Keyvani—a dual Iranian-Swedish national convicted of spying for Israel—was executed, drawing outrage from Stockholm and the European Union. Earlier this week, another man was put to death for allegedly acting on behalf of Israel and the US during the protests.

Adding to the concerns, Amnesty International warned that five young protesters previously sentenced to death could soon face execution after they were moved from Ghezel Hesar prison to an unidentified location this week. The organization has repeatedly highlighted Iran as the second-most prolific executioner in the world after China, with its death penalty practices drawing global condemnation.

As the war continues and Iran's leadership faces mounting pressure, the executions of Montazer and Baniamerian underscore a grim reality: the regime is using fear and violence to maintain control, even as its population grapples with the toll of war and repression.