Iran's Supreme Court has rejected a request for a retrial for four Kurdish political prisoners facing death sentences after being convicted of cooperating with Israel, charges they denied, lawyer Masud Shamsnejad said.
In a statement posted on social media on January 16, Shamsnejad said the court dismissed the retrial request, citing the absence of initial and final verdict documents in the cases of the four -- identified as Vafa Azarbar, Mohammad (Hajir) Faramarzi, Mohsen Mazloum, and Pejman Fatehi -- even though in such cases security issues are cited for keeping such crucial documents from defense lawyers.
Throughout the case, Shamsnejad has complained that both he and his clients were denied their rightful legal protections. He described his efforts as "unavailing" and "merely nominal."
Joana Teymasi, the wife of Mazloum, posted a video on social media on January 13 in which she asked people to "take all necessary measures to save the lives of these four prisoners."
The United States has publicly condemned the execution orders for the four, adding an international dimension to the ongoing human rights discourse in Iran.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry has identified the group as operatives from the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, but the party has denied the claim. It has said previously that several of its members have been arrested.
In December, Iran executed four people -- three men and one woman -- accused of working for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a yearslong shadow war. Tensions have been exacerbated by the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, which has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Meanwhile, the rate of executions in Iran has been rising sharply, particularly in the wake of the widespread protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022 after she was arrested for wearing a hijab improperly.
Iran Human Rights said that as of December 2023 more than 700 people had been executed in Iran, with a marked increase in recent months.
Amnesty International says the regime in Tehran executed more people than any other country in the world other than China last year.