Iran executes cyber security expert convicted of spying for Israel, rights groups say

Iran on Wednesday executed a cyber security expert convicted of spying for Israel, two human rights groups said, alleging his case was marked by torture, forced confessions and denial of a fair trial. The execution of Ehsan Afrashteh, a 32-year-old political prisoner from Isfahan, was carried out at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights said. His execution brings to 54 the number of people put to death in the Islamic Republic since February 28, when the Iran war began, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO told The National . Hengaw said Mr Afrashteh, a civil engineering graduate, had returned voluntarily to Iran from Turkey in early 2024 after receiving assurances from Iranian security institutions that he would not be harmed. Instead, he was arrested on arrival and held for five months in solitary confinement, where the group said he was subjected to psychological pressure and torture before later being transferred to Tehran's Evin prison. The group said he was then moved to Ghezel Hesar prison following a violent raid by special forces on Evin prison in November 2025. Iranian authorities accused Mr Afrashteh of espionage and transferring “top secret” documents to Israel, allegations he denied. Hengaw said he maintained that his activities were limited to warning independent websites about cyber attacks. Hengaw said Mr Afrashteh was forced into televised confessions under threats that private images would be published and that terrorist activities would be falsely attributed to him. It added that he was denied access to a lawyer of his choosing during the trial process. He was sentenced to death by a branch of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court headed by judge Abolghasem Salavati, with the verdict later upheld by the Supreme Court, Hengaw said. IHR said Mr Afrashteh was executed after being convicted on what it described as “fabricated espionage charges and forced confessions”. The rights group said he was the sixth person executed on espionage charges since March 27. Quote The daily executions of political prisoners and those accused of espionage will continue unless the international community increases the political cost Iran Human Rights NGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam “The daily executions of political prisoners and those accused of espionage will continue unless the international community increases the political cost of these executions for the Islamic Republic,” IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said on X. Both groups said Mr Afrashteh's father died from a heart attack after learning that his son had been sentenced to death. A joint report by IHR and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said Iran executed at least 1,639 people last year, the highest number since 1989 and an increase of nearly 70 per cent compared with the previous year. They said the figure represented an “absolute minimum”. Iranian officials have repeatedly defended the country’s handling of national security cases, accusing foreign-based rights groups of using such prosecutions for political purposes. Human rights organisations say executions in Iran have accelerated since the US and Israel launched military action against the country on February 28, with a particular rise in cases involving alleged espionage and other security-related charges.