06 November 2024 :
November 5, 2024 - IRAN. 3 unidentified individuals sentenced to death for espionage
According to Mizan, the judiciary’s news agency
Judiciary Spokesperson Asghar Jahangir reported that eight individuals were initially arrested in West Azerbaijan Province in connection with the case. Out of these, three were brought to trial and sentenced to death on espionage charges.
Jahangir further alleged that these individuals used alcohol smuggling as a cover to transport “assassination equipment” meant for Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi, the former Deputy Defense Minister and a senior figure in Iran’s nuclear program. Fakhrizadeh was killed on November 27, 2020, in an attack involving a car explosion and gunfire exchange between his security team and assailants. The defendants’ case is currently under appeal, and Jahangir indicated that a separate case is also underway regarding other individuals allegedly linked to Fakhrizadeh’s assassination. However, he provided no additional details.
Though espionage prosecution is generally outside the scope of human rights concerns, Iran’s history of leveraging such charges as political tools often raises skepticism about the legitimacy of these accusations.
