A360
Key Takeaways✦ Atlas AI
01
Iran executed alleged Israeli spy.
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Supreme Court upheld death sentence.
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Human rights group cited fabricated confessions.
Atlas AI
Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel’s intelligence service on Wednesday, May 13, after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news outlet.
The man was identified by rights group HRANA as Ehsan Afrashteh, 32. HRANA said he was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to death in 2025.
HRANA said the conviction was based on confessions it described as fabricated. Iranian authorities’ account, as cited by Mizan, said he was convicted on espionage charges.
Case details and competing claims
The report did not provide additional details on the evidence presented in court or on the legal proceedings beyond the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the sentence.
HRANA’s account raised concerns about the process that led to the conviction, while state-linked media described the case as an espionage prosecution tied to Israel’s intelligence service.
Broader Iran-Israel tensions
Iran has repeatedly accused individuals of spying for foreign powers, including Israel, in cases that draw scrutiny from international human rights organizations over due process and the use of capital punishment.
Further developments may depend on whether Iranian authorities release more information about the case or announce additional arrests or prosecutions linked to alleged espionage.
