Tehran, Iran – On Saturday morning, Iranian authorities executed university student Aqil Keshavarz on charges of spying for the Israeli Mossad, in Urmia Central Prison, amid widespread human rights condemnations and reports of confessions being extracted under torture.
The final meeting and implementation details
The Kurdistan Human Rights Network confirmed that Keshavarz, an architecture student at Shahroud University and a resident of Isfahan, was transferred to solitary confinement last Wednesday in preparation for his execution. His family was summoned from Isfahan for a “final meeting” held on the afternoon of Friday, December 19, amidst a tragic atmosphere during which his mother fainted due to the shock.
Charges and “forced” confessions
The judiciary’s Mizan news agency accused Keshavarz of working as an intelligence agent for Israel, photographing military and security sites, and cooperating with the opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq.
In contrast, human rights reports indicated that the student was subjected to severe torture in Revolutionary Guard detention centers in Urmia to force him to confess to espionage. The reports also noted that his family received security threats to keep them silent throughout his trial before the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Sajjad Dousti.
Background to the security escalation
The execution of Keshavarz comes in the context of an intensive security campaign launched by Tehran following the “12-day war” with Israel, in which Iranian officials announced the arrest of more than 700 people suspected of collaborating with the Jewish state.
