Exiled Iranian Opposition Denounces New Death Sentence for Political Prisoner

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an opposition group based in exile, has denounced the issuance of a new death sentence for a political prisoner within Iran. The condemned individual has been identified as Isa Chari, a 37-year-old worker and father of two. According to the NCRI's statement, Chari is accused of membership in the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK), an organization designated as terrorist by the Iranian regime. The sentence was reportedly handed down by Judge Mohammad Mehdi Shahmirzadi in Branch 23 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Chari was initially arrested in December 2025. The NCRI highlighted that no further information regarding Chari's case had been released by Iranian state media, even by the regime's affiliated Mehr news agency, which had reported an arrest around that time without naming the individual or their specific affiliation. The opposition group expressed deep concern over the lack of adherence to standard judicial procedures, noting that Chari's family had no contact with him until his transfer to Ghezel Hesar prison. The NCRI is calling upon the UN Special Rapporteur and international human rights organizations to take action to save Chari's life. In a separate statement, the NCRI also reported that verbal sentences and threats of death penalties have been issued against five other political prisoners held in Ghezel Hesar, Iran's largest state prison. Iran remains one of the countries with the highest number of executions globally, with an estimated 1,500 individuals executed in 2025, a 50% increase from the previous year, according to UN data.