ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iranian Kurdish student was executed on Monday despite Iran's supreme court overturning his death sentence two days earlier, according to information obtained by a rights organization, amid a string of executions carried out in recent months based on alleged confessions obtained under duress.
A source told Kurdpa human rights organization that Omid Behzad, 21, a Kurdish student from Urmia, the capital of Rojhelat's West Azerbaijan province, “was executed Monday morning at an unknown location.” despite that "after Behzad's lawyer appealed the death sentence, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling on Saturday.”
Mizan, Iran’s judiciary-affiliated news agency, published a 30-second clipped video of his forced confessions and maintained the sentence was carried out after confirmation by the supreme court, claiming that Behzad “sent the coordinates of sensitive locations to Mossad” and so-called "affiliated channels" during the 40-day war.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has carried out mass arrests and executions following six weeks of war after Israel and the US launched a coordinated aerial campaign against Iran on February 28.
Since then, Tehran has reportedly detained thousands of protestors and dissidents on charges of espionage, eliciting forced confessions under duress and using coerced statements obtained after subjecting detainees to physical and psychological abuse, which it then uses to convict harsh sentences which often carry capital punishment.
Pouria Safvat, executed alongside Behzad, was accused of sending the coordinates of military and security sites to Iran International, a media outlet that Iranian authorities have repeatedly alleged is linked to Israel.
IRGC-affiliated Fars News also released a video on Monday showing the two men’s confessions. In the footage, Safvat said he had provided the coordinates of mosques, schools and Basij bases to Iran International, a London-based 24-hour news channel.
It is unclear why the defendants would have needed to provide the coordinates of sites that are freely available online.
According to Kurdpa's source, Behzad's family was summoned on Sunday for a final visit, but authorities have provided no explanation as to why the execution went ahead after the Supreme Court reportedly overturned the sentence.
The outlet provided no other details regarding the time of their arrest, the location of the execution, the fate of the bodies, or the details of the trial. It is unclear whether or not they had access to independent legal representation.
It also remains unclear what events took place between the court's decision or where Behzad was hanged.
The reported contradiction comes as rights groups have raised growing concerns over Iran's handling of alleged espionage cases following the recent conflicts with Israel and the US.
The executions are the latest in a wave of death sentences carried out against people accused of collaborating with Israel. Rights groups report a sharp increase in executions related to espionage and national security charges since the recent wars, warning that many cases lack transparency and basic due process protections.
According to Kurdpa, more than 359 executions were recorded in the first half of 2026 alone, with Kurds representing the highest figure among ethnic minorities at 30 executions.
Over a five-month span from mid-January to mid-June, Kurdpa recorded the death sentences of 46 political and ideological prisoners carried out in a hasty and secretive manner - marking the highest such figure in the shortest timeframe since the 1980s.
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