The US State Department on Friday condemned the Islamic Republic's execution of political prisoner Babak Shahbazi this week as proof of what it called Tehran's use of the death penalty to scotch opposition.
Shahbazi, a father of two, was detained in January 2024 and later convicted of “spying for Israel” and “corruption on earth,” charges he denied before his execution early Wednesday.
The State Department said his execution "underscores the Iranian regime’s instrumental use of capital punishment to silence dissent and instill fear."
"Shahbazi, accused of espionage, was convicted in a grossly unfair trial based on forced confessions obtained under torture," it said in a post on its Persian-language X.
Rights groups have described the proceedings as grossly unfair and based on forced confessions obtained under torture.
His initial sentence was handed down in May 2025 by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, who was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 for presiding over unfair trials, extracting forced confessions, and imposing harsh sentences on political prisoners and journalists.
"Shahbazi’s case highlights the regime’s reliance on fabricated evidence and brutal tactics, including solitary confinement and physical abuse, to suppress opponents," the State Department said.
"The United States condemns this injustice and, while standing with the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom and dignity, remains committed to exposing the regime’s human rights violations."
Thousands of people in Iran face the risk of execution amid what Amnesty International on September 10 called a deepening execution crisis, with death sentences handed down after unfair trials and on vaguely worded charges such as enmity against God and corruption on earth.
The rights group said more than 800 people had been executed in 2025 so far, nearly double the pace of last year, and warned that thousands more remain under investigation or prosecution on capital charges, including drug-related offences and accusations of espionage.
Since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, Amnesty said, Iranian authorities have “weaponized the death penalty as a tool of oppression”.
In June, following Israel’s airstrikes and a 12-day war with Iran, officials intensified calls for swift trials and executions for those accused of collaborating with Israel. Parliament has also advanced legislation to expand the use of capital punishment, pending approval by the Guardian Council.
