Iran: Concerns About Death Row Prisoner, Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd, After Transfer to Unknown Location

According to Iran Human Rights, Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd, a political prisoner on death row in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, has been transferred to an unknown location. Mousavi-Majd was sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on charges of "espionage for an enemy state." Shortly after the hearing, his sentence was upheld by Branch 19 of the Revolutionary Court.

Domestic media have described him as the "discloser of Qasem Soleimani’s location", when in fact, Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd was arrested several months before Soleimani was killed.

Speaking to IHR, an informed source said: "Mousavi-Majd was arrested at an anti-Hezbollah demonstration and he was arrested in Lebanon and it had nothing to do with the assassination of Soleimani."

According to HRANA news agency, Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi-Majd was arrested on October 10, 2018, by Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and transferred to Syria. About two months after the transfer, he was arrested by IRGC forces and transferred to Iran.

On February 5, 2019, following interrogation in Tehran, he was first transferred to Andarzgah 7, Hall 12 of Evin Prison, and then to Andarzgah 4, Hall 1. He was transferred from Evin Prison to Rajai Shahr Prison on June 10, and after spending several days in solitary confinement, he was returned to the general ward of the prison at noon on June 6 and summoned to the warden’s office in the evening before being transferred to an unknown location.

Transferring the political prisoner to an undisclosed location raises concerns that his sentence may be executed imminently. On May 10, 2020, IHR warned about the imminent execution of another political prisoner on death row, Hedayat Abdollahpour, following his transfer to an undisclosed location. Hedayat was executed on May 21st by what IHR later revealed to have been a firing squad.