18 September 2025 :
September 17, 2025
IRAN
Babak Shahbazi executed in Ghezel Hesar on September 17
On charges of spying for Israel
State media reported the execution of Babak Shahbazi who was sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through espionage for Israel based on torture-tainted confessions and without due process and fair trial rights.
Condemning Babak Shahbazi’s execution in the strongest terms, Iran Human Rights urges civil society and the international community to respond appropriately to this criminal act.
IHR Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Babak Shahbazi’s death sentence was issued without a fair trial and on the basis of confessions extracted under torture, making his execution an extrajudicial killing. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Islamic Republic officials must be held accountable for this crime!”
According to the Judiciary’s Mizan News Agency, Babak Shahbazi was hanged at an undisclosed location on 17 September 2025. It appears that his execution took place in Ghezelhesar Prison, where he was held.
Babak Shahbazi was a 44-year-old father of two arrested on 6 January 2024. According to reports, he was held in solitary confinement for seven months and threatened to arrest his 16-year-old daughter to force him to confess to their accusations on camera. Babak’s father suffered a heart attack from the pressure and threats he was subjected to while trying to save his son. According to his family, Babak’s message to President Zelenskyy offering to help in the war against Russia was used as an example of espionage for Israel.
Furthermore, under torture, Babak was forced to confess to “Cooperation with hostile foreign governments against the Islamic Republic of Iran; intelligence, espionage and security cooperation in favour of the Zionist regime in order to support, strengthen and consolidate the Zionist regime and exchange information with individuals affiliated with the regime.” According to the official report, his case was linked to that of Esmail Fekri who was executed on 16 June 2025.
On 4 May 2025, Babak was sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh and efsad-fil-arz by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by “Death Judge” Salavati. The sentence was based on Article 6 of the Law on Countering Israeli Actions Against Peace and Security which states that “any intelligence cooperation or espionage in favour of the Zionist regime is considered as moharebeh and efsad-fil-arz, and the perpetrator shall be sentenced to the severest punishment.
Babak was denied access to the lawyer his family had hired prior to trial. The defence lawyer was also denied access to the case file. His death sentence was upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court on 1 July 2025. An appeal filed on 2 August was rejected days later, the second appeal was rejected on 21 August and the third appeal was reported by his family to have been rejected on 16 September.
Babak Shahbazi is the tenth person to be executed for Israel espionage charges in 2025. Mohsen Langarneshin, Pedram Madani, Esmail Fekri, Majid Mosayebi, Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh, Edris Ali, Azad Shojaei, Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul and Rouzbeh Vadi have all been executed since 30 April 2025.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8028/
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