Inside Iran’s Machinery Of Death And Torture (S01E167)

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Friday, October 9, 2026, Paris

Iran continues to execute political dissidents at an unprecedented rate, flouting its laws and international standards in applying the death penalty to cases that clearly do not merit it.

In the latest episode of badlands, I discuss Iran’s use of the death penalty and how the regime is crushing hope for any change inside the country.

The episode features part 2 of my interview with environmental activist Morad Tahbaz, in which he details his arrest in Iran and confinement inside Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, the topic of his memoir “Green Parrots.” He describes how he managed to survive long stretches in solitary confinement, and how he managed to thrive once he was placed in the general prison population.

Also in the episode, I discuss the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee and the use of the death penalty in the US in an interview with India’s NewsX World.

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