Internet blackout, secret and extrajudicial executions; execution of three prisoners in Qezl-e-Hesar prison

In the shadow of the internet shutdown, secret executions in Iran have intensified, and at the same time as communication with the world is cut off, political prisoners are being extrajudicially eliminated on security charges.

While internet access in Iran is repeatedly and purposefully restricted or cut off, there are disturbing reports of an increase in extrajudicial and secret executions of political prisoners; a trend that seems to be continuing with greater intensity in the information darkness, keeping global public opinion in the dark.

At dawn today, Saturday, April 4, the death sentences of two political prisoners, "Abolhassan Montazer" and "Vahid Bani-Amariyan", were carried out in Qezl-Hesar Prison in Karaj. The two were secretly hanged without prior notice and without the right to a final meeting with their families. The charges against these individuals have been described as "rebels", a charge that has been used repeatedly in recent years to suppress political and ideological opponents.

What makes this case even more worrying is the judicial process. Despite the Supreme Court having previously overturned the verdict due to a flawed investigation, the Tehran Revolutionary Court re-issued the death sentence in a few-minute hearing that lacked fair trial standards. Reports also indicate that the prisoners were subjected to severe torture, including beatings, shockers, whippings, and threats against their families, forcing them to make forced confessions.

These executions are part of a wider case in which at least six people have been executed so far, a process that human rights sources say was "unfair" and "lacked legal standards."

In the same context, Kurdish prisoner of conscience Mehdi Asgharzadeh was also secretly executed in the same prison; a person who had spent years in detention and long-term imprisonment, and reports of torture and forced confessions have been published about him.

What is notable in these cases is the recurring pattern in which the Iranian government attempts to justify the execution of political prisoners by charging them with charges such as “espionage” or “collaboration with Israel.” This is despite the fact that many of these charges are tried in closed, short-lived trials without the defendants having access to independent counsel.

Cutting off or restricting the internet at such critical times not only prevents timely news from being disseminated, but also creates a basis for the silent execution of these sentences. In the absence of media oversight and pressure from global public opinion, there is a risk that more political prisoners will be executed in silence.

From a human rights and moral perspective, this trend represents an escalation of repression and disregard for the fundamental principles of justice. It is vital for the international community, especially human rights organizations and independent media, to pay attention to this pattern and break the wall of silence. Because behind every internet shutdown, lives may be taken whose voices will never reach the world.