Latest news with #PedramMadani
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel
by Naharnet Newsdesk 28 May 2025, 15:32 Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, the judiciary said on Wednesday. "After identification, arrest, and judicial proceedings against Pedram Madani, who was spying in favor of the Zionist regime, and following the complete process of criminal procedure and the final confirmation and upholding of the verdict by the Supreme Court, he was brought to justice and executed," the judiciary's Mizan Online reported. According to the report, Madani was accused of transmitting classified information and holding meetings with Mossad officers abroad, including in Brussels. The judiciary said he had travelled to "the occupied territories" -- the term used by Iranian officials to describe Israel -- prior to his arrest in 2020–2021. He was also convicted of acquiring "illicit wealth" by receiving euros and bitcoin from Israel. Mizan added that Madani was ultimately found guilty of "espionage on behalf of the Zionist regime's intelligence service (Mossad)" under charges of waging war against God and "corruption on earth", and sentenced to death. The report did not detail Madani's age, profession or how he obtained the classified information. His case follows a string of similar executions in Iran targeting individuals accused of collaborating with Israel. In April, Iran executed Mohsen Langarneshin for allegedly aiding Mossad in the 2022 assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei in Tehran. Authorities said Langarneshin provided technical support to Mossad and met with Israeli agents overseas. Iran, which does not recognize Israel -- referred to by officials as the "Zionist regime" -- has repeatedly accused its arch-foe of carrying out covert operations inside the country, including attacks on its nuclear program and the assassination of its scientists. Tensions between the two rivals recently escalated to direct exchanges of fire amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Tehran has made support for the Palestinian cause a central pillar of its foreign policy. Iran carries out annually, the highest number of executions globally after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Iran hangs man convicted of Israel spying, activists slam 'unfair' trial
Iran on Wednesday (May 28, 2025) executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, in defiance of pleas from his family and activists for his life to be spared after what they described as an unfair trial. Pedram Madani, 41, was hanged in Ghezelhesar prison in Karaj outside Tehran after earlier this week being transferred from Evin prison in the capital where he had been held following his arrest in 2019. He is the second man to be executed by Iran on charges of spying for Israel within two months, amid a surge in executions on all charges which activists say is aimed at instilling fear in the population. The hanging comes against the background of a new period of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, which the Islamic republic does not recognise, over the Iranian nuclear programme. The judiciary's Mizan Online website said Madani had been "spying in favour of the Zionist regime", using the term employed by institutions in the Islamic republic to denote Israel. "Following the complete process of criminal procedure and the final confirmation and upholding of the verdict by the Supreme Court, he was brought to justice and executed," it said. 'Unfair process' But activists and his family said that the case against him was deeply flawed and he had notably been denied the right to a lawyer of his choosing during the legal process. Madani "was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court without access to a lawyer of his choice, through an unfair and non-transparent process orchestrated by security agencies," Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) which tracks the death penalty in Iran, told AFP. "The Islamic Republic's goal in executing Pedram Madani and others who are hanged daily is solely to instill fear within society and to conceal the regime's widespread corruption and systemic failures." The Dadban legal monitor said in a statement on social media that in such a trial before a Revolutionary Court the defendant is denied the possibility of defending himself and the judge also has "no option" of rejecting the case. "It is more than a legal accusation — it is a charge used as a tool to issue and carry out the death penalty," it said. In a video posted on Tuesday by IHR and other groups warning of the risk of the imminent execution, his mother described Madani as a "man who loves his country and loves his family." "My son's case is full of flaws and his death sentence must be revoked," she said. 'False confessions' There had on the eve of the execution been numerous pleas from Iranian campaigners for his life to be spared, including from Nobel peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi, currently on temporary release from serving her own prison sentence. "The Islamic republic uses the death penalty as a tool to instill fear and intensify repression against the people," she said in a video statement. "There was not even a chosen lawyer on the case. Pedram's cellmates testify he confessed falsely and under pressure. In Revolutionary Courts these false confessions serve as the basis of death sentences," she added. According to Mizan, Madani was accused of transmitting classified information and holding meetings with Mossad officers abroad, including in Brussels. The judiciary said he had travelled to "the occupied territories" -- the term used by Iranian officials to describe Israel -- prior to his arrest in 2020-2021. He was also convicted of acquiring "illicit wealth" by receiving euros and bitcoin from Israel. In April, Iran executed Mohsen Langarneshin for allegedly aiding Mossad in the 2022 killing of an Islamic Revolutionary Guards colonel in Tehran. Rights groups including IHR have said Langarneshin was executed after an unfair trial and a confession extracted under torture. According to IHR, there have been at least 478 executions in Iran this year alone, including more than 60 hangings in the last 10 days.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Iran hangs a man convicted of spying for Israel
Iran has hanged a man convicted of spying for Israel, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday. According to the reports, Pedram Madani was hanged after Iran's supreme court upheld a death sentence issued by a lower court. The official IRNA news agency said Madani had visited Israel and met Mossad officers to convey classified information about buildings in Iran where "infrastructure" equipment was installed. The report did not elaborate but said Madani received foreign currency and cryptocurrency for the information. It said Madani also met Mossad officers at the Israeli Embassy in Belgium. Israel's security agency had no immediate comment. Madani, 41, was arrested in 2020. Executions in Iran have escalated in recent months. According to Iran Human Rights, a watchdog group based in Norway, at least 60 people have been executed in the past 10 days alone. Madani was the third person this year executed on charges of "spying for Israel," which are often based on vague accusations, the organization said. In April, Iran executed a man convicted of working with Mossad and of playing a role in the 2022 killing of a Revolutionary Guard colonel in Tehran.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Iran hangs a man convicted of spying for Israel
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran hanged a man convicted of spying for Israel, state media reported Wednesday. The report said Pedram Madani was hanged after the country's supreme court upheld a death sentence issued by a lower court. The official IRNA news agency said Madani visited Israel and met Mossad officers to convey classified information about buildings in Iran where 'infrastructure' equipment was installed. 3 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military personnel burn an Israeli flag during a rally in Tehran. Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 3 People drive past an anti-Israel billboard featuring the shape of a traditional Yemeni dagger made of map pins and sentences reading 'All targets are within reach, we choose' in Hebrew and 'All targets are available, now Yemeni missiles' in Persian, in Tehran's Palestine square on May 5, 2025 AFP via Getty Images The report did not elaborate but said Madani received foreign currency and cryptocurrency in return for the information. It said Madani also met Mossad officers at the Israeli embassy in Belgium. Israel's security agency had no immediate comment. 3 An Iranian man holds a sign during a pro-Palestine rally in Tehran on May 2, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Authorities arrested Madani, 41, in 2020. In April, Iran executed a man convicted of working with the Mossad and of playing a role in the 2022 killing of a Revolutionary Guard colonel in Tehran.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran hangs man accused of spying for Israel
Iran has executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, according to state media reports. Pedram Madani was hanged after Iran's supreme court upheld a death sentence issued by a lower court, the reports said. The official IRNA news agency said Madani had visited Israel and met with Mossad officers, providing them with classified information about buildings in Iran where "infrastructure" equipment was installed. The report stated that Madani received foreign currency and cryptocurrency in exchange for the information, but did not provide further details. It said Madani also met Mossad officers at the Israeli embassy in Belgium. Israel's security agency had no immediate comment. Authorities arrested Madani, 41, in 2020. In April, Iran executed a man convicted of working with the Mossad and of playing a role in the 2022 killing of a Revolutionary Guard colonel in Tehran.
