Erfan Shakourzadeh

Erfan Shakourzadeh was executed by Iranian authorities after being convicted on espionage-related charges. Iranian state-linked media alleged that he cooperated with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Mossad and transferred classified information related to Iran’s satellite and aerospace sector.

According to Iranian judiciary-linked media, Shakourzadeh was accused of acting as a “joint CIA and Mossad spy” and allegedly passing sensitive information to foreign intelligence agencies. Authorities claimed he had attempted to establish contact with these intelligence services in multiple stages. Human rights organizations, however, stated that the case lacked transparency and that no public evidence supporting the espionage allegations was presented before his execution. Reports also indicated that he spent approximately nine months in solitary confinement after his arrest by the intelligence branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Prior to his execution, rights groups published a prison note attributed to him in which he alleged that his confession had been extracted through torture and coercion. His execution took place amid growing international concern about Iran’s increasing use of the death penalty in politically sensitive and security-related cases.