Imminent Risk of Execution; Sudden Transfer of Political Prisoners Behrouz Ehsani Eslamloo and Mehdi Hassani to Ghezel Hesar Prison
26-January-2025
Category: Prisoners
January 26, 2025
Category: Prisoners –
Breathing in Confinement: On Sunday, January 26, 2025, two political prisoners sentenced to death, Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani Eslamloo, were suddenly transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, the two political prisoners, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, were abruptly and secretly removed from their wards on Sunday and have not yet been returned. Prison authorities took Mehdi Hassani from Ward 8 of Evin Prison under the pretext of physiotherapy, and Behrouz Ehsani from Ward 4 under the pretext of medical treatment, transferring them to an undisclosed location. Reports indicate that Mr. Ehsani initially refused to leave the ward, but was forcibly removed after being beaten by prison officers.
Following their transfer, political prisoners in Ward 4 protested and staged a sit-in, chanting slogans such as “Death to the Dictator,” demanding the return of these prisoners to their respective wards.
Behrouz Ehsani Eslamloo, a 70-year-old from Urmia, and Mehdi Hassani, a 48-year-old from Zanjan, were sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. Their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court and referred to the Enforcement Unit.
Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, warns against the increase in executions and the initiation of a new wave of executions of political prisoners in light of recent events, particularly in retaliation against political prisoners following the deaths of two judges in the Justice Department. The organization calls on international bodies to take practical steps to compel the Islamic Republic to halt these executions.