Iran executes a man convicted of spying on Israel, but activists say his confession is forced

Iran hung a man on Wednesday for being convicted of being a spy in Israel's foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, and assisted in the 2022 assassination in Tehran, the official IRNA news agency of the Islamic Republic. A group of activists

Mohsen Langarneshin is said to be one of Mossad's “top spies” within Iran, and is alleged to have provided “technical support” in the killing of Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei.

According to the Associated Press, Iranian media identified Khodaei as the “defender of the shrine” during the killing. The term is an euphemism used by Iran to refer to the Iranians fighting Syria and Iraq in the elite force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Langarneshin also provided attacks on industrial centers related to Iran's defense ministry, purchased vehicles and equipment, “created a safe environment for Iran's Mossad elements”, transferred the currency from Mossad officials to the country's contacts, and rented security houses in several Iranian provinces, IRNA said. One of these houses is in Isfahan, January 2023, Bomb drone target What Iran calls military seminar. Iran accused Israel of planning the attack.

Langarneshin was recruited by Mossad in 2020 and worked for the Israelis for two years, during which time he met with Mossad officials in the Georgia and Nepal states, “and obtained his mission.”

Langerneshin admitted “at all stages of trial, prosecution and court litigation” after “faced with a wide range of cases,” the IRNA said.

News Agency, a nonprofit human rights activist, said Wednesday that sources close to Langerneshin's family recently told the group that he was “assured that he would only face jail if he repeated what the interrogator wanted on camera.

The group cites another source, who said he is close to Langarneshin, who said he was “taken to a designated location and was forced to tell a script that was filmed through the interrogator.”

Mohsen's father, Masoud Langarneshin, posted a video a few days before the execution claiming that his son was sentenced to death without a fair trial. His mother last visited the public with Mohsen to seek help from human rights groups on April 29 in Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, western Tehran.

Iran's revolutionary court sentenced Langarneshin to death, founded after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and was known for its cruel punishment for political opponents of the country's instrumental rulers. The court usually provides a court-appointed attorney and does not allow any news channels.

“After legal proceedings were conducted at all stages of the case, Langarneshin was sentenced to death and his sentence was conducted this morning,” IRNA reported on Wednesday.