From the grim corridors of Iran’s most notorious prisons to the diplomatic halls of Tehran and Moscow, a series of recent events have cast a harsh spotlight on the state of human rights and political maneuvering in the Islamic Republic. In the closing weeks of October 2025, the world has witnessed a surge in executions, the defiant voice of a political prisoner, the controversial sentencing of a young man for his clothing, and renewed international mediation efforts—all underscoring the deep turbulence roiling Iran today.
Perhaps the most stirring voice to cut through the regime’s propaganda is that of Shahin Zhoghitabar, a political prisoner whose message from Evin Prison was recorded on October 22, 2025. Despite facing a fresh 10-year sentence on what he and his supporters call fabricated charges, and suffering from severe health complications due to inhumane prison conditions, Zhoghitabar’s words ring with unwavering defiance. As reported by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), he declared, “I and other political prisoners will certainly stand with the people of Iran until our last drop of blood, until the moment of the overthrow of the notorious mullahs’ regime.”
Zhoghitabar’s ordeal began anew on August 2, 2025, when IRGC Intelligence agents raided his home without a warrant and arrested him. Following a trial on August 17 at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by the notorious Judge Iman Afshari, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The charges—ranging from “assembly and collusion against the system” to “propaganda against the system”—were, according to activists and legal experts, wholly baseless. The regime cited peaceful activities such as meeting with families of PMOI members, slogan-writing, and distributing flyers as evidence of his supposed crimes. The verdict, delivered formally on September 30, has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights advocates.
His suffering has been compounded by the dire conditions in Iran’s penal system. Initially held at Fashafuyeh Prison, Zhoghitabar developed severe kidney ailments and leg swelling due to the squalid environment. Now transferred to Evin Prison, he continues to be denied adequate medical care. This is not his first encounter with the regime’s repressive machinery: in 2013, he was sentenced to six years for “insulting Khamenei,” serving four years before his release in 2018. Throughout his incarceration, he became renowned for his resilience and for protesting the authorities’ illegal conduct, often at great personal risk.
His message, published on October 22, 2025, called for the overthrow of the clerical dictatorship and rallied support for the Resistance Units. It’s a reminder that, as much as the regime tries to silence dissent, the spirit of resistance endures. “The only path to liberation is Mrs. Rajavi’s Third Option, the path of the Mojahedin, and the path of the Resistance Units,” Zhoghitabar insisted in his address, echoing a slogan chanted in the streets: “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader.”
But Zhoghitabar’s ordeal is hardly unique. In the same period, Iran has set a chilling new record for executions. According to the NCRI, at least 280 prisoners were executed between September 23 and October 22, 2025—one every two and a half hours, a 36-year high. This marks a near doubling from the same period last year, and a staggering 1,135 executions have occurred in the first seven months of the Persian year 1404 (since March 21, 2025). Among the victims are 36 women and six juvenile offenders, underscoring the indiscriminate nature of the crackdown. On October 22 alone, at least 15 prisoners, including one woman, were hanged.
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, condemned the executions, stating, “The scale of these criminal executions, especially in the 21st century when most countries have abolished the death penalty, wounds the conscience of contemporary humanity.” She argued that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s use of executions to prevent uprising “has lost its former deterrent power,” citing a week-long hunger strike by 1,500 death-row prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison as evidence of growing resistance even behind bars.
The hunger strike at Qezel Hesar Prison was particularly dramatic. Inmates on death row sewed their lips shut and refused food for six days, demanding an end to what they called a wave of state killings. Families staged sit-ins outside judicial offices, and Amnesty International raised the alarm over the rising number of executions, with the organization’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Hussein Baoumi, stating, “Even by Iran’s own bleak record, this is a grim moment that demands a serious and coordinated international response.” Human rights groups estimate that Iranian authorities have executed an average of four people per day since the start of 2025.
Meanwhile, in the city of Qom, the reach of the authorities into everyday life was made evident by the sentencing of a 26-year-old man for wearing shorts while skateboarding. On October 24, 2025, a local court ordered him to handwrite the entire religious book “Thirty Minutes in the Afterlife” as punishment. The man’s father, a practicing attorney, condemned the action: “Wearing shorts is not a crime and cannot be considered as provoking public sentiment.” He has filed a complaint against the police and prosecutor for unlawful behavior, noting that Iranian law contains no provision criminalizing the wearing of shorts by men. According to legal advocacy site Dadban, Iran’s Islamic dress codes are primarily enforced through mandatory hijab for women, while expectations for men are unwritten and more loosely applied.
Beyond the prison walls and courtrooms, Iran’s foreign policy is also at a crossroads. On October 20, 2025, Russian envoy Alexander Lavrentiev arrived in Tehran to mediate the restoration of diplomatic and economic ties between Iran and Syria, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The Sharq daily reported that Russia aims to strike a diplomatic balance in the post-Assad era, seeking to maintain its influence while promoting regional stability. However, skepticism abounds. Abbas Abdi, a prominent Iranian analyst, warned that Russia’s pragmatism means it could abandon Tehran if its interests shift. The news outlet Rouydad 24 echoed this concern, stating, “Past experience shows Moscow has consistently used the confrontation between Tehran and the West as leverage to advance its own interests.”
In the realm of nuclear politics, Iranian scientist Mahmoud Reza Aghamiri denied U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that the Fordow nuclear facility was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in June. “The enemy claims they destroyed Fordow, but if you visit the site, you’ll see that’s not true,” Aghamiri told the press. He emphasized Iran’s technical expertise, asserting, “If Iran decides to build an atomic bomb, it can do it in the best way.”
As October draws to a close, the Iranian regime faces mounting pressure at home and abroad. The stories of Zhoghitabar, the executed prisoners, and the young man in Qom reveal the human cost of repression, while the diplomatic maneuvers with Russia and Syria highlight the regime’s precarious position on the world stage. The struggle for freedom, justice, and dignity in Iran continues, undiminished by the regime’s efforts to silence it.