Iran secretly executes Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat on espionage charges
Hengaw – Monday, August 3, 2026
Iranian authorities have secretly executed Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat, two prisoners who were arrested during the 40-day war and sentenced to death on charges of “spying for Israel (Mossad).”
According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the executions were carried out secretly at dawn on August 3, 2026. Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency confirmed the executions but did not disclose where the sentences were carried out.
The arrests, prosecution and executions of the two men were conducted in complete secrecy, without public disclosure or independent legal scrutiny. Prior to the announcement of their executions, no information regarding their arrests or death sentences had been made public.
Iranian state media alleged that the two men transmitted the coordinates and images of military and security sites to Israel’s Mossad and the television network Iran International during the recent war. Authorities also claimed that Behzad used location-based applications to transmit coordinates. These allegations raise serious questions given the widespread internet shutdowns during the conflict and the authorities’ failure to present any publicly verifiable evidence in court.
Based on a video of the men’s televised confessions released by Mizan, Hengaw believes they may have been Kurdish arrested during the 40-day war.
The two men were held in an undisclosed location from the time of their arrest until their execution. They were denied access to legal counsel of their choice, family visits and a fair trial. The televised confessions were extracted under torture and severe pressure while they were held in solitary confinement. No information had been released regarding the prison where they were held, the location of the executions or whether their bodies had been returned to their families.
Executions carried out on the basis of forced confessions obtained under torture, combined with the denial of legal representation and closed judicial proceedings, constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life and violate Articles 6 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protect the right to life and the right to a fair trial. Iran’s use of the death penalty in cases involving alleged links to foreign states or media outlets is intended to intimidate and suppress society.
