Iran executes man for alleged spying for Israel; activists say he was tortured into false confession

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran said Wednesday it executed a man it alleges spied for Israel, something disputed by activists who say he was tortured into a false confession after writing a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offering to fight for Kyiv.

The execution comes as activists warn Iran could execute more prisoners on death row after its 12-day war with Israel and as it tries to stamp out dissent over its ailing economy and over women’s rights, particularly after marking the third anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini this week.

Amini died in police custody in 2022 after being detained for allegedly not wearing her mandatory hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities, sparking months of demonstrations and a violent crackdown by security forces.

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency identified the executed man as Babak Shahbazi, who it claimed had gathered and sold sensitive information about Iranian data centers and security installations to Israeli handlers. It described him as working on “industrial cooling devices” as a contractor for companies that worked on telecommunications, military and security sites.

The judiciary claimed Shahbazi then sold information to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Activists, including the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights, had said Shahbazi was detained over writing a letter to Zelenskyy offering to fight in the Ukrainian military. Iran has supplied Russia with drones that Moscow has used to attack Ukraine, something that has drawn anger from some in Iran particularly as Tehran cracks down on dissent at home.

“Babak’s message to President Zelenskyy offering to help in the war against Russia was used as an example of espionage for Israel who they claim taught Babak to use Microsoft Word,” the group said. Iran did not acknowledge that claim.

Iran did not elaborate on how it executed Shahbazi, though condemned prisoners typically are hanged. Ukraine did not immediately acknowledge the execution.

Iran has hanged eight people for espionage since its June war with Israel, sparking fears from activists that the government could conduct a wave of executions. Israel waged an air war with Iran, killing some 1,100 people, including many military commanders. Iran launched missiles barrages targeting Israel in response.

Iran carried out executions at “an alarming rate” in 2024, with at least 975 people killed, according to a UN report that also cited other human rights abuses, from barriers to freedom of expression to the use of torture and arbitrary detention. Iran Human Rights says over 940 executions have been carried out already this year.

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Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.