The Iranian regime is expediting the execution of its political prisoners, according to a new Wall Street Journal report.

“In the days before Iran’s regime hanged Nasser Bakerzadeh, the 26-year-old spoke of the normal life he would never return to. Bakerzadeh dreamed of returning to run his mobile-phone store, he told fellow inmates in the main prison of Urmia, a city in Iran’s northwest. Instead, he was executed for being an Israeli spy—a charge he denied and his lawyer said lacked any credible evidence,” began the disturbing story, adding:

 Bakerzadeh is one of at least 45 people executed in Iran this year on political charges, ranging from spreading propaganda to espionage, according to human-rights groups and Iranian state media. Most of those death sentences have been carried out in the past three months, as the authorities have hurried to send a message to a restless population: The regime is still firmly in charge, and dissent won’t be tolerated. Tehran has pushed to strengthen its internal hold on power as it starts talks with the U.S. after negotiating a memorandum of understanding that, among other things, will give the regime a financial boost from ending sanctions on oil exports.

“The latest round of internal repression began when Iranian authorities suppressed street protests in January, killing thousands of demonstrators who were calling for sweeping political change against a background of a crumbling economy,” noted the Journal‘s Henna Moussavi. “Espionage is being used as an increasingly elastic accusation to suppress political activity, human-rights groups say. Other loosely defined capital offenses used against political dissenters include ‘enmity against God’ and ‘corruption on Earth.’ Many of those executed in recent weeks were arrested following those protests in January, but others had been in Iranian jails for longer—in some cases for years.”

The Iranian regime is believed to have killed tens of thousands of citizens during this January’s country-wide protests.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” wrote President Donald Trump in a January 13 Truth Social post. “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!