Iran Executes Two Opposition Group Members Amid Wartime Crackdown

Iran executed two members of the banned opposition group PMOI/MEK on Saturday morning, bringing the total to six members executed since March 30, 2026, amid an ongoing war with the United States and Israel that began February 28, 2026. Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian were hanged after being convicted of armed rebellion, with their sentences upheld by Iran's Supreme Court. Amnesty International accused Iranian authorities of torturing the four men executed on March 30-31 and abruptly transferring them to unknown locations before execution. The executions occur against a backdrop of mass antigovernment demonstrations in January 2026 that killed thousands, with Iran executing multiple people connected to the protests and accused of spying for Israel and the United States.

Execution of PMOI/MEK opposition members amid ongoing conflict

• ▪The United States-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, 2026
• ▪Iran executed two men convicted of being members of the banned People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) opposition group on Saturday morning
• ▪Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian were hanged after trial and their sentences were upheld by Iran's Supreme Court
• ▪All six executed People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran members were arrested and convicted by a Revolutionary Court in late 2024
• ▪Four other convicted members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran were executed on March 30 and 31, 2026
• ▪The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran fell out with Iranian leadership in the 1980s and was designated a terrorist organisation
• ▪Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour and Pouya Ghobadi were executed on March 30 and 31, 2026
• ▪Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian were convicted of armed rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist acts
• ▪The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran initially supported the 1979 Islamic revolution that unseated the Iranian monarchy
• ▪The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran has operated in exile since the 1980s

International condemnation and human rights concerns

• ▪The execution of Kouroush Keyvani drew outrage from Stockholm and the European Union
• ▪Amnesty International accused Iranian authorities of torturing the four men executed on March 30-31 while they were held in prison
• ▪Amnesty International warned that five young protesters previously sentenced to death could soon be executed after being moved from Ghezel Hesar prison to an unidentified location
• ▪Iran executed Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national convicted on charges of spying for Israel
• ▪Diana Eltahawy is Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa
• ▪Iranian authorities abruptly transferred the four men executed on March 30-31 to an unknown location shortly before their executions

Broader pattern of executions targeting dissidents and protesters

• ▪Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi were executed on March 19, 2026 in connection with the January uprising
• ▪Mass antigovernment demonstrations occurred in Iran in January 2026 during which thousands were killed
• ▪Iran executed one man convicted of acting on behalf of Israel and the United States during the January 2026 protests on Thursday, April 2, 2026

Perspective of People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)

• ▪The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran has operated in exile since the 1980s
• ▪The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran initially supported the 1979 Islamic revolution that unseated the Iranian monarchy