Iran Supreme Court overturns death sentences for six political prisoners

“Australia stands with women and girls in Iran and supports their struggle for equality and empowerment,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said on Thursday. “We remain gravely concerned by Iran’s persecution of women and girls and the use of violence to enforce mandatory hijab compliance.”

Canberra would continue pressing Tehran to uphold its human rights obligations, including accountability for “perpetrators of past and ongoing human rights violations,” the spokesperson added.

Since September 2022, Australia has sanctioned 65 individuals and entities tied to the suppression of protests that erupted after Amini’s death in police custody.

New Zealand voices concern

New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a parallel message to Iran International, expressing extreme concern over the situation inside Iran.

“New Zealand remains extremely concerned by the human rights situation in Iran, including restrictions on freedom of expression, violence and discrimination affecting women and girls, and ongoing repression of religious and ethnic minorities by Iranian authorities,” said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson.

Wellington said it would maintain a policy of restricted engagement with Tehran and continue raising its concerns in all relevant international fora and in direct bilateral engagement.

The 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police in September 2022. Her death sparked nationwide demonstrations under the banner Woman, Life, Freedom, met with arrests, executions, and a crackdown denounced by Western governments.

Afkari's death remains a searing reminder of Tehran's willingness to crush dissent, even when the world is watching.

As former wrestlers, we tried to raise his case at the highest levels. And US president Donald Trump took note—in what became the first known public effort by an American president to halt the execution of an athlete.

“Hearing that Iran is looking to execute a great and popular wrestling star, 27-year-old Navid Afkarai, whose sole act was an anti-government demonstration on the streets,” he posted on Twitter on Sep. 3, 2020.

“I would greatly appreciate if you would spare this young man’s life, and not execute him. Thank you!”

Afkari was convicted of killing a security guard during 2018 protests but said in an appeal that he had been tortured into a confession used against him in court and later broadcast on state television.

Spurned pleas

Trump’s message amplified Afkari’s plight, alongside appeals from UFC president Dana White, decorated Olympians, and thousands of athletes worldwide. Yet the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and United World Wrestling confined themselves to quiet, private appeals.

IOC president Thomas Bach later admitted he had made “direct personal appeals to the Supreme Leader and to the President of Iran” asking for mercy.

Those backchannel efforts failed and Afkari was hanged.

Two years later, on September 16, 2025, Mahsa Jina Amini died in morality police custody, igniting the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement. Both Amini and Afkari became cause célèbres of those who oppose the theocracy.

Iranian athletes continue to pay a heavy price: karate champion Mohammad Mehdi Karami was executed in 2023, footballer Amir Reza Nasr-Azadani is serving a 26-year sentence, and swimmer Parham Parvari faces a possible death penalty.

Iran’s National Olympic Committee is run not by athletes but by loyalists to the Islamic Republic, including a former bodyguard to supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

International sport has long offered the rulers in Tehran prestige they deny their own people. Cutting that lifeline could matter more than another round of statements.

The IOC and federations should commit to automatic bans if athletes are executed for dissent. Washington and its allies can reinforce this with sanctions targeting sports and security officials complicit in abuses.

Admittedly, sanctions or suspensions carry a cost: innocent Iranian athletes risk losing their chance to compete internationally, and the authorities will use this to stoke nationalist anger.

But the alternative—allowing executions to pass without consequence—leaves the regime with impunity and athletes with no protection at all.

Clear, consistent penalties would make it harder for Tehran to treat sportsmen and women as expendable.

Afkari and Amini are remembered as symbols of courage. Honoring them today requires action, not silence.

Members of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union), joined by associate members Australia and New Zealand, issued a joint statement Friday condemning what they described as Iran’s growing campaign of transnational repression.

The statement cited recent declarations by Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, and the US, which detailed what they called increased attempts by Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass political opponents overseas.

The attempts, the G7 said, follow "a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of transnational repression, and clearly undermine state sovereignty."

Last month, UN human rights experts condemned what they called Iran’s intensifying campaign of repression against journalists working for Iran International and the intimidation of their families, particularly after the 12-day war with Israel.

"Reports suggest that journalists have been followed, had tracking tags attached to their cars, and their cars repeatedly broken into. Women journalists have faced threats of death and sexual violence on social media and instant messaging services, some receiving hundreds of messages a day."

The statement came after Iran International filed an urgent appeal with the experts urging them to take action against Iran over serious risks to the lives and safety of their journalists worldwide and relatives inside Iran.

In July, British lawmakers warned that Iran is among several foreign governments engaged in transnational repression on UK soil.

A report from parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights said Tehran’s tactics include “assassination plots, physical attacks, intimidation of family members, asset freezing, judicial proceedings, smear campaigns, online abuse, surveillance and digital attacks such as hacking, doxing and impersonation."

Beyond targeting dissidents, the G7 on Friday warned of other malign operations linked to Iran, including what it described as efforts to obtain and publish journalists’ personal information and actions designed to “divide societies and intimidate Jewish communities.”

“The G7 RRM stands in solidarity with our international partners whose citizens and residents have also been targeted by Iran,” the group said, vowing to continue countering foreign interference.

The RRM was launched in 2018 to address foreign threats to democracy.

"Five years ago today, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran executed Navid Afkari after years of torture and a sham trial," the State Department said in a post on its Persian X account.

The State Department said Navid Afkari’s case "reflects a broader pattern of systematic impunity for torture, forced confessions, and executions carried out without due process in Iran’s judiciary."

Afkari was arrested in 2018 and later sentenced to death for killing government employee Hassan Torkaman during antigovernment protests in Shiraz.

Before being executed in 2020, Afkari sent several audio messages from prison in which he said he had confessed to the murder only under physical and psychological duress.

"Through sham judicial procedures, this regime seeks to create the illusion of justice while denying fairness, fair trial, and accountability," the State Department said in its post on X.

"The United States condemns these actions and reaffirms its unwavering support for the Iranian people in their pursuit of justice, freedom, and human dignity."

At the height of Iran’s 2022 protests against the Islamic Republic, Donald Trump praised the demonstrations by the Iranian people.

“The people of Iran are bravely protesting against their corrupted and brutal regime, courageously facing down violence, persecution, jail, torture, and even death... we are with you and we will always be with you.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television the process was moving forward. “Negotiations are in their final stages,” he said. “We hope the process will be completed in the coming days.”

The detainee in France is Mahdieh Esfandiari, 39, who has been held in Fresnes prison near Paris since March on charges of glorifying terrorism. Prosecutors said she posted messages on Telegram in support of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel, which they considered incitement to terrorism and insults against the Jewish community.

On Friday, outgoing French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Paris was demanding the “immediate and unconditional” release of its nationals. “France has always called for the immediate and unconditional release of our compatriots in Iran,” he told France Inter radio, declining to comment on Araghchi’s remarks.

Among those imprisoned are Cecile Kohler and her husband, Jacques Paris, detained in May 2022. Iranian authorities accused them of spying for Israel and trying to stir labor protests, charges their families call baseless.

They have been held for more than three years under conditions family members describe as harsh, with limited access to lawyers and relatives.

Kohler's sister Noemie told Iran International that the family had not been informed about any progress and was wary of the reports.

"Unfortunately, we have no information beside what is said in the media," she said. "We are very cautious regarding this statement."

A third detainee is 19-year-old dual national Lennart Monterlos, who disappeared in Iran in June while cycling. Araghchi confirmed his arrest in July without specifying the charges.

Araghchi said Iran’s judiciary and security agencies were involved in the process and that practical steps would follow once legal procedures were complete. Tehran rejects Western accusations that it detains foreign nationals as leverage in disputes.

Rights groups say Iran has a record of detaining foreigners for political ends. Human Rights Watch and others have described such cases as “state hostage-taking.”