Iraj Mesdaghi is an Iranian–Swedish writer, former political prisoner, and internationally recognized human rights activist. Born in Iran, he became politically active at a young age and later joined the Confederation of Iranian Students while living in the United States. Following the 1979 revolution, he returned to Iran with hopes of supporting political change and promoting democratic reforms.
In 1981, Mesdaghi was arrested due to his affiliation with the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran (PMOI). His imprisonment lasted more than ten years and included lengthy periods inside Iran’s most notorious prisons, such as Evin, Ghazelhasar, and Gohardasht. He personally witnessed the brutality and systematic violence carried out against political prisoners during the 1980s. Mesdaghi survived the 1988 mass executions, one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Islamic Republic, during which thousands of political prisoners were executed following brief and secret tribunal sessions.
After his release, Mesdaghi eventually left Iran and fled to Sweden in 1994, where he received political asylum. From that point onward, he dedicated his life to documenting human rights abuses in Iran, advocating for political prisoners, and providing testimony regarding the Iranian government’s treatment of dissidents. He has consistently campaigned for accountability, transitional justice, and international recognition of human rights violations carried out by Iranian authorities.
Mesdaghi has authored several important works, including the four-volume memoir Neither Life Nor Death, a detailed account of prison life and political repression, and Hell on Earth, which investigates the ideological foundations and political objectives behind institutional torture in Iran. His writings are considered valuable historical records and are frequently used by researchers, journalists, and human rights organizations examining the contemporary history of the Islamic Republic.
One of his most impactful contributions occurred in 2019, when Mesdaghi helped arrange circumstances that led to the arrest of Hamid Noury, a former Iranian prison official believed to have participated in the 1988 executions. Noury’s arrest in Sweden resulted in one of the country’s most significant war-crimes trials and attracted widespread international media attention. The case also opened new discussions about universal jurisdiction and accountability for crimes committed inside Iranian prisons.
Mesdaghi is a member of the Committee for the Observation and Use of Iranian Justice Data, an initiative led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. The committee verified leaked Iranian judicial documents showing decades of political imprisonment, forced confessions, and executions dating from 1978 to 2009. These findings have been used by international human rights organizations, legal experts, and academic researchers monitoring the history of state repression in Iran.
In recent years, Iraj Mesdaghi has continued to speak at conferences, human rights events, and international forums, while regularly appearing in media interviews and analytical programs discussing Iranian politics, prison conditions, and transitional justice. His testimony and research remain central to ongoing efforts aimed at documenting abuses inside Iran and advocating for justice for thousands of victims and survivors whose stories are still emerging.
Mesdaghi is widely regarded as one of the most outspoken voices on human rights issues related to Iran and continues to play an active role in public debates, independent investigations, and historical documentation surrounding political violence and state repression in the Islamic Republic.
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