Women Journalists Without Chains expresses deep alarm at the continued use of Iran’s criminal justice system to suppress political dissent and human rights advocacy. Lengthy prison terms, successive prosecutions, and an escalating resort to the death penalty reflect a systematic effort to silence critics and deter peaceful civic engagement.
 
Particular concern surrounds the reported 16‑year sentence issued against political prisoner Mohammad Ahmadi, as well as the new prison term imposed on anti‑death‑penalty activist Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb, which has kept him in custody even after completing his previous sentence.
 
On 25 September, Branch 23 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court reportedly sentenced Mohammad Ahmadi to 16 years in prison on espionage charges, delivering the verdict inside Greater Tehran Prison. Publicly available information does not clarify what evidence—if any—substantiated the conviction, nor whether he had meaningful access to legal counsel. An independent review of the proceedings is urgently needed, along with disclosure of the basis for the conviction and guarantees of his right to a fair defense.
 
Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb, a long‑standing activist campaigning against the death penalty, was reportedly handed an additional one‑year sentence with further penalties shortly after completing a previous three‑year term on 29 August. His continued detention under a new case raises serious concerns that successive prosecutions are being used to keep dissidents imprisoned beyond the terms of their original convictions. Peaceful opposition to capital punishment and other forms of rights advocacy are protected expressions under international law and must not be criminalized.
 
These cases form part of a broader crackdown in which criminal and national‑security charges have been deployed against protesters and political opponents. Reports document at least 59 executions of men between 18 March and the end of August 2026, following trials described as seriously unfair. At least 29 of those executed were reportedly arrested in connection with the December 2025–January 2026 protests, while at least three were linked to the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” demonstrations.
 
The death penalty cannot be used to punish peaceful political expression or protest. Where convictions or death sentences follow grossly unfair proceedings, torture, or coerced confessions, their enforcement may constitute arbitrary deprivation of life. National‑security charges do not absolve authorities of their obligations to ensure due process, disclose the basis of accusations, and guarantee an effective defense.
 
Invoking war or external security threats cannot justify suppressing fundamental rights inside Iran. Emergency conditions do not suspend the right to liberty, due process, or protection from torture, nor do they permit the use of courts as instruments of political retaliation.
 
The authorities must halt prosecutions and detention based solely on the peaceful exercise of protected rights; subject the cases of Mohammad Ahmadi and Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb to independent and transparent judicial review; and release all individuals detained without a lawful basis. The practice of using successive cases to extend detention after sentences have been completed must end.
 
An immediate moratorium on executions is essential, with a view to abolishing the death penalty. Independent investigations into allegations of torture, coercion, and violations of fair‑trial guarantees are urgently required, along with accountability for officials found individually responsible for such abuses.
 
UN mechanisms and states should act swiftly to protect individuals at risk of execution, support independent investigations, preserve evidence, and pursue available accountability measures. A sentence must mark the conclusion of a lawful judicial process—not become a mechanism for keeping dissenters behind bars indefinitely