Iran executes two MKO members over alleged terror and riot-related charges
Iran has executed two members of the foreign-based dissident group Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) for their alleged involvement in “acts of terror” and attempts to kill police forces during unrest in January.
The death sentences of Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi-Sangdehi were carried out on Monday morning after being upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court and finalized through the legal process, News.Az reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV.
According to case files, the two men were recruited by the MKO via the Telegram messaging application and were involved in acts of terror and attempted attacks on police forces.
Based on the case documents and an explicit confession, Taghavi-Sangdehi allegedly formed a terror cell aimed at undermining Iran’s national security, conducted surveillance of sensitive facilities, and carried out operations against state institutions, Press TV reported, adding that he established operational teams with funding from the group.
Daneshvarkar allegedly participated in anti-government protests and at times attempted to target law enforcement personnel.
Iranian security forces reportedly confiscated improvised launchers, explosive devices, and flammable materials from his hideout.
MKO members spent many years in Iraq, where they were hosted and armed by the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Press TV said, adding that the group sided with Saddam during the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War and later supported his suppression of uprisings in parts of Iraq.
Iranian authorities accuse the organization of being responsible for the killing of thousands of Iranians, most of them civilians, in a range of attacks including bombings in public places and targeted assassinations following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
News.Az
By Emil Kaziyev
