Mossa’d Up: Iran’s Kangaroo Courts Bear False Witness to Execute Political Prisoners with Minimal Backlash
Iran continues to execute political prisoners. Only now, they’re bearing false witness to make it a bit easier to also have to deal with the backlash. By accusing their political prisoners of being Israeli Mossad agents, the regime hopes to garner favor among an increasingly restive population. At a minimum, they hope they can continue the killing and stem the tide of resentment.
It’s quite possible that the plan may backfire. If the people see what’s happening, it may serve to increase their contempt for the Mullahs.
Speakers Available: Alireza Jafarzadeh, Deputy Director of NCRI, as well as Shahin Gobadi and Ali Safavi, members of Iranian Parliament in exile.
The Iranian regime has escalated its brutal campaign of repression by sentencing two political prisoners, Hamed Validi (45) and Nima Shahi (38), to death under fabricated charges of espionage for Mossad. Two other prisoners were collectively sentenced to 26 years. This alarming development—announced September 27 by regime media—marks yet another desperate attempt to silence dissent by branding supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as foreign agents.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) warns that these death sentences are a calculated act of political repression, designed to intimidate the Iranian people as resistance to the regime intensifies. The judiciary’s verdict comes in the wake of major demonstrations by Iranian expatriates in New York and coincides with the reactivation of United Nations sanctions. The timing is no accident.
In reality, Validi and Shahi were arrested in May 2025—one month before the 12-day war—and their names were already provided by the Iranian Resistance to the United Nations and human rights organizations at that time. They have since endured months of interrogation and torture. The regime’s claim that these men were part of a Mossad-linked espionage network is an outright fabrication. As the NCRI has stressed, this “fraudulent show and clerical kangaroo court” reflects nothing but Tehran’s fear of the opposition and its resort to the tired tactic of labeling the PMOI/MEK as foreign agents.
This is not an isolated incident. The regime’s pattern of using the Mossad pretext to justify torture, imprisonment, and executions underscores the need for immediate international intervention. The NCRI is calling on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur and the International Fact-Finding Mission to act without delay to save the lives of Validi and Shahi.
For journalists, this case highlights both the regime’s deepening crisis and the broader stakes of Iran’s human rights abuses at a time when global scrutiny is mounting. Sarah McCarthy and Nick Bryant may have Epstein’s hidden files—but in Tehran, the world’s most dangerous secrets are about survival.
Would you like to speak with NCRI representatives about this urgent development and the broader implications?
Here is what the Ayatollah then tweeted:
Mullahs are getting increasingly desperate on many fronts. Deciding to target political prisoners for execution by identifying them as secret Mossad agents is diabolical. It is a tactic of division in by the mullahs. By justifying cold blood murder by convincing the people that their fellow countrymen are actually members of an Israeli spy operation is diabolically evil.
The NCRI has been calling for regime change and is available to provide context on this huge development. Deputy Director Alireza Jafarzadeh, Member of Parliament in Exile Shahin Gobadi, and others are available for interviews.
The NCRI can provide expert voices on the sanctions, the state of the regime, and what comes next.
Speakers Available:
Alireza Jafarzadeh – Deputy Director of NCRI
Shahin Gobadi – Nuclear Engineer and member of NCRI
Ali Safavi – Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Related Article(s)
Iran hangs alleged spy for Israel in wave of executions | AP News
The UN promotes Iran’s executioner President Masoud Pezeshkian — proving its own fecklessness
Iran: Executions of 15, 13, and more prisoners in Iran on Sept 24, 28, and 29 – NCRI
UN Security Council moves to impose “snapback” sanctions on Iran
Optional Q&A
- What evidence does the Iranian regime provide to justify labeling political prisoners as Mossad agents?
- How have international human rights organizations responded to the cases of Hamed Validi and Nima Shahi?
- Why is the regime intensifying executions and harsh sentences at this particular political moment?
- What role does the PMOI/MEK play in exposing these fabricated charges?
- How credible are the judiciary’s claims of espionage networks linked to Mossad?
- What pressure, if any, can the UN Fact-Finding Mission apply to halt these executions?
- How does this tactic reflect the regime’s fear of growing opposition at home and abroad?
- What immediate steps should the international community take to protect Validi and Shahi?
ABOUT ALIREZA JAFARZADEH…
Alireza Jafarzadeh serves as the Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the NCRI. He is also the author of The Iran Threat (Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2008).
A recognized expert on Iranian policy, Jafarzadeh has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. His groundbreaking work in 2002 and 2003 led to the discovery of key illicit nuclear sites, including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the Arak heavy water plant, the Kalaye Electric centrifuge testing facility near Tehran, and the Lashkar Ab’ad laser enrichment facility. These revelations prompted the first-ever inspections of Iranian nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Jafarzadeh is a frequent guest on major television and radio networks, including CBS Evening News, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and France 24. His insights have also been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time, and The Hill.
ABOUT SHAHIN GOBADI…
Shahin Gobadi, a U.S.-educated nuclear engineer, is a member of the NCRI, Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
An astute observer of Iranian affairs for over three decades, Gobadi is an expert on topics including Iranian state-sponsored terrorism, proxy groups in the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, Western policy toward Iran, and internal Iranian affairs.
He has been interviewed by major international media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, BBC, Sky TV, GB News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Gobadi’s writings have appeared in prominent media across the U.S. and Europe.
ABOUT ALI SAFAVI…
Ali Safavi is a member of the NCRI, Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
A sociologist by training, Safavi studied and taught at UCLA, California State University Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. He was an active participant in the anti-Shah student movement in the 1970s in the United States and has been deeply engaged in Iranian affairs ever since.
Safavi has lectured and written extensively on Iran, Iraq, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Middle Eastern politics. He has appeared in interviews on networks such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, Sky TV, Newsmax, and France 24. His articles and commentary have been published in leading outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Boston Herald, The Washington Times, and The Financial Times.
This material is distributed by Special Guests Publicity LLC on behalf of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) / Media Strategy Consulting LTD. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
CONTACT:
For further details or to arrange the interview, please contact Jerry McGlothlin at 919-437-0001 / Bookings@SpecialGuests.com
