Iran's Judiciary announced that early this morning, Omid Behzad and Pourya Safvat were executed on charges of "spying for Israel." Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic, reported that the two individuals transmitted information, images, and coordinates of military and security sites to Mossad and its affiliated communication channels during what was termed the "12-Day War" and the "40-Day War."
According to Mizan's report, the two men were arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization and confessed to the charges during the investigation. The report states that Omid Behzad repeatedly sent coordinates and information regarding military, law enforcement, and security facilities to channels linked to Mossad, and was also in contact with the administrator of an Israel-attributed Telegram channel.
Mizan further claimed that during the so-called "40-Day War," Pourya Safvat transmitted information regarding military and security facilities to the Iran International network and communication channels affiliated with Israel, noting that some of the locations whose information had been transferred were later targeted in attacks.
In its report, Mizan did not reference the branch handling the case, details of the judicial process, the defendants' defense, or statements from their lawyers. Furthermore, no independent information regarding the identity, case details, or background of these two individuals is currently available beyond what Iranian state media has published.
Conversely, a number of human rights activists and organizations have described these executions as "secret" and expressed deep concern over the judicial process in such cases. These organizations have previously warned about the swift execution of death sentences, the use of forced confessions, lack of access to legal counsel for defendants, and the failure to adhere to fair trial standards.
Last week, Amnesty International also urged Iranian authorities to halt the execution of Benjamin Naqdi. The organization stated that the Islamic Republic has a documented track record of utilizing torture and ill-treatment to extract forced confessions and imposing cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishments.
According to reports, since the onset of the US-Israel war with Iran on February 28, 2026, the execution rate in Iran has accelerated, with the Judiciary executing dozens of individuals on charges including "espionage" and "cooperation with the US and Israel." Among those executed are several individuals arrested during nationwide protests.
Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, previously stated that the Islamic Republic uses the death penalty as a tool to instill fear and terror in society and to suppress protests. She also noted an unprecedented surge in executions over the past year, a trend that has further accelerated following the recent war.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Head of Iran’s Judiciary, had also repeatedly called on prosecutors to process the cases of individuals detained following the start of the war or during protests without delay, and to swiftly issue and carry out their sentences.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
