The line is crackly. But the voice of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh is clear and, given the circumstances, surprisingly steady. He's on death row in western Iran. He speaks quickly - as if time is running out. And his message is desperate.
You are hearing my voice from Oromiyeh Central Prison, and this may be the last time you hear it, he says in a voice note obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.
From the very first day of my arrest, they forced confessions out of me through torture and threats, confessions that were entirely false. None of the charges against me are true. They know it, and God knows it. I am innocent.
Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly. He was accused of involvement in the killing of a member of Iran's Basij militia force.
After 42 months of fear and sleepless nights, he was put to death earlier this month - part of a surge in executions of people on political and security charges.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it's verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners. This marks a sharp year-on-year increase, with 45 executions on politically motivated charges occurring in 2025 alone, according to Amnesty International.
The UN's Human Rights Office has warned that the death penalty is increasingly used to silence political dissent, with executions being utilized as a tool for intimidation. Individuals like Mehrab and Sasan Azadvar, convicted amid increasingly repressive measures, reflect a wider pattern of state-sanctioned violence against perceived dissenters. Their stories reveal both the tension in Iranian society and the grave consequences of speaking out against the regime.
You are hearing my voice from Oromiyeh Central Prison, and this may be the last time you hear it, he says in a voice note obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.
From the very first day of my arrest, they forced confessions out of me through torture and threats, confessions that were entirely false. None of the charges against me are true. They know it, and God knows it. I am innocent.
Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly. He was accused of involvement in the killing of a member of Iran's Basij militia force.
After 42 months of fear and sleepless nights, he was put to death earlier this month - part of a surge in executions of people on political and security charges.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it's verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners. This marks a sharp year-on-year increase, with 45 executions on politically motivated charges occurring in 2025 alone, according to Amnesty International.
The UN's Human Rights Office has warned that the death penalty is increasingly used to silence political dissent, with executions being utilized as a tool for intimidation. Individuals like Mehrab and Sasan Azadvar, convicted amid increasingly repressive measures, reflect a wider pattern of state-sanctioned violence against perceived dissenters. Their stories reveal both the tension in Iranian society and the grave consequences of speaking out against the regime.
