Iran carried out the execution of two men on Tuesday who were convicted of membership in a prohibited opposition group and conspiring to topple the Islamic Republic, the judiciary announced. This development followed the hanging of two others on comparable charges just a day before.
Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi were executed by hanging after all legal procedures were finalized and their sentences confirmed by the Supreme Court, the judiciary’s official statement. The men were found guilty of attempting rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist activities, as well as being members of the banned People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) and engaging in sabotage aimed at overthrowing the government.
These executions come amid heightened tensions, with Iran currently engaged in conflict with the United States and Israel following strikes on February 28 that escalated regional hostilities. On Monday, Iranian authorities announced the execution of two additional men convicted on similar charges related to the MEK and efforts to destabilize the Islamic Republic. The exact timing of the arrests of these four men remains unclear.
The MEK, originally opposing the shah and initially supporting the 1979 Islamic revolution before falling out with the regime in the 1980s, has since operated in exile and is designated a terrorist organization by Tehran.
Iran ranks as the world’s second most prolific executor after China, human rights organizations, and has carried out multiple executions since the onset of the current conflict. On March 19, three men accused of killing police officers during mass protests in January were executed, marking the first executions linked to that unrest. In the same month, Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish citizen, was executed on charges of spying for Israel, prompting condemnation from Sweden and the European Union.
