Mehdi Oghbai: The Execution of Mehdi Khanki Was a Political Crime Intended to Terrorize Iran’s Uprising Generation

Mehdi Oghbai, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the execution of 25-year-old university student Mehdi Khanki was another political crime by the clerical regime, intended to intimidate young Iranians and prevent a renewed popular uprising.

Iran’s judiciary announced on Wednesday, July 22, that Khanki had been executed in connection with the January 2026 protests. It accused him of membership in an opposition group and involvement in anti-regime activities. Judiciary-affiliated media confirmed the execution while repeating security allegations that were never subjected to independent judicial scrutiny.

Oghbai said the authorities concealed Khanki’s arrest, trial, and death sentence from the public and disclosed the case only after carrying out the execution. No transparent information was released about the trial proceedings, his access to an independent lawyer, the evidence used against him, or his ability to defend himself. The execution therefore represents another example of secret, expedited proceedings that violate the most basic standards of justice.

Khanki was reportedly arrested in Karaj on February 10, meaning fewer than five months passed between his detention and execution. Oghbai said this speed did not reflect a genuine judicial process, but rather a predetermined security decision to eliminate a member of the uprising generation.

He added that the regime has intensified executions of political detainees and January protesters in recent months. Human rights organizations have documented fast-tracked and grossly unfair trials, denial of due process, and the use of confessions allegedly extracted under torture. They have warned that a broader execution campaign may be underway to suppress dissent and terrorize society.

Oghbai said the timing of the execution, coinciding with the anniversary of the start of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, is highly significant. Following his acceptance of a ceasefire in 1988, Khomeini ordered the killing of thousands of political prisoners, most of them members and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, in an attempt to contain domestic unrest and eliminate organized opposition. His successors are now repeating the same pattern: de-escalation abroad and executions at home.

Oghbai concluded that the execution of Mehdi Khanki will not extinguish the uprising but will deepen public anger. He called on the United Nations, the European Union, and democratic governments to condemn the killing, hold the regime’s officials accountable, and take urgent action to stop political executions. Silence, he warned, will only encourage further killings, while the lasting solution lies in supporting the Iranian people and their organized Resistance in their struggle to overthrow the clerical dictatorship and establish a democratic republic.