Mizan News Agency, the official media outlet of the judiciary, reported the execution of political prisoner Gholamreza Khani Shokrabat at dawn today, May 26, on charges of “intelligence cooperation and espionage for the benefit of Israel.” According to the report, his death sentence was carried out after being upheld by the Supreme Court.
Mizan wrote that Khani Shokrabat operated as a “Mossad operational network leader” abroad, working to recruit individuals inside Iran and execute anti-security measures. According to Mizan’s claims, his “missions” included “assaulting and throwing acid at vehicles belonging to individuals targeted by Mossad,” “causing damage and setting fire to public property,” and “sending photographs of specific locations requested by the Mossad officer.”
The judiciary of the Islamic Republic also accused him of “making preliminary arrangements for the assassination of a Jewish rabbi in one of the countries in the region.” This report was released after human rights organizations had raised alarms regarding the situation of Gholamreza Khani Shokrabat, an athlete and political prisoner sentenced to death.
Iran Human Rights announced on May 21 that Khani Shokrabat was at imminent risk of execution following his transfer from Evin Prison to a solitary confinement cell in Ghezel Hesar Prison. According to the organization, Khani Shokrabat was arrested on September 24, tried on charges of “cooperation with Israel, specifically the Mossad intelligence agency,” and sentenced to death.
