Iran has ex3cuted a man convicted of spying for Israel, marking the latest in a series of espionage-related executions that have alarmed human rights groups.
The judiciary said Ali Ardestani was h@nged on Wednesday, January 7, after being found guilty of sharing sensitive information with Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, and receiving payment in cryptocurrency in return. The announcement was made by Mizan News Agency, which stated that Ardestani provided images and photographs of specific locations as well as intelligence on potential targets.
Iran has intensified executions on espionage charges following its 12-day war with Israel in June, a conflict that resulted in heavy damage to Iranian nuclear and ballistic facilities and the killing of senior military and security officials in intelligence-led strikes.
Human rights organisations strongly criticised the execution. Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam, director of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights, said the sentence lacked legal legitimacy. “The de@th sentence against Ardestani, like many other ex3cutions in Iran, was issued without a fair trial and based on forced confessions, and therefore lacks any legal legitimacy,” he said.
Amiry Moghaddam added that at least 12 people have now been ex3cuted on charges of spying for Israel since the June conflict began, noting that this was the first such ex3cution since nationwide protests over rising living costs erupted on December 28. “The Islamic Republic’s aim in carrying out ex3cutions on charges such as espionage, particularly amid ongoing protests, is solely to instill fear among the population,” he said.
Iran is regarded as the world’s second-highest ex3cutioner after China. Rights groups estimate that at least 1,500 people were ex3cuted in the country last year alone.
Since the war, Iranian authorities have pledged swift trials for anyone accused of collaborating with Israel. Tehran, which does not recognise Israel, has long accused it of sabotage operations against its nuclear programme and assassinations of Iranian scientists.
Rights groups, however, continue to warn that innocent people may be executed on espionage charges while actual foreign intelligence operatives remain at large. Mossad, through its Persian-language account on X earlier