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Three Executed for Drug-Related Offenses in Kerman Prison

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Executions, News
Abdollah Ozbakzahi, Fariba Mohammad-Zahi, Kerman, Khalilollah Brahui

On May 8, 2024, three inmates, including one woman, were executed in Kerman Prison for drug-related crimes.

HRANA identified the executed individuals as Fariba Mohammad-Zahi (Mohammadi Zaei), aged 33, Abdollah Ozbakzahi, and Khalilollah Brahui (Barahooie). All three had been previously convicted on drug charges.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report

 

Unresolved Tragedy: The Hidden Graves of Iran’s Executed Activists

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Executions, News
Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Farzad Kamangar, Mehdi Eslamian, Shirin Alam Hooli

On May 9, 2010, Farzad Kamangar, a dedicated teacher and human rights activist, was executed alongside four fellow political prisoners—Ali Heydarian, Shirin Alam Hooli, Farhad Vakili, and Mehdi Eslamian—following a highly flawed judicial process. The executions, conducted secretly in a prison parking lot, proceeded without prior notification to their lawyers or families.

Fourteen years after these executions, the burial sites of the deceased remain undisclosed. The trials and executions faced widespread international condemnation, highlighting severe violations of legal rights, including arbitrary arrests, prolonged solitary confinement, lack of legal representation, and physical and mental torture—particularly noted in the detention facilities of Sanandaj and Kermanshah operated by the Ministry of Intelligence. Most disturbingly, at least three of the prisoners, Kamangar, Vakili, and Heydarian, were reportedly sentenced for Moharebeh (enmity against God) in a cursory seven-minute court session.

Kamangar’s lawyer has openly criticized the judiciary for its politicization, stating that the court disregarded their arguments and asserting his client’s innocence. Despite ongoing appeals from human rights organizations, Iranian authorities continue to withhold information on the locations of the graves, refusing to return the bodies to their families.

In memory of Farzad Kamangar and to honor his legacy, several teachers’ unions have marked May 9, coinciding with Teacher’s Week in Iran, as a day to celebrate the “free-minded teacher,” commemorating his commitment to education and human rights.

Pediatrician Arrested for Anti-Execution Protest in Lordegan

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Freedom of Expression, News
Khosrow Besharat, Lordegan, Mahmoud Mehrabi, Mehrshard Kunlayni, محمود مهرابی, مهرشاد کلینی

In Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Mehrshard Kunlayni, a pediatric specialist, was arrested by security forces after he protested against capital punishment, displaying a placard in a public area.

The placard Kunlayni held read, “No to the execution of Khosrow Besharat and Mahmoud Mehrabi.” Mahmoud Mehrabi, a political prisoner, has recently been sentenced to death. Meanwhile, Khosrow Besharat, a Sunni prisoner on death row, faces imminent execution at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

Kunlayni’s whereabouts and his condition are unknown at this time.

Four Death-Row Inmates Facing Imminent Execution for Drug Offenses in Urmia Prison

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Executions, News
Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Urmia prison

Today, May 7, 2024, officials at Urmia Prison moved four inmates, all convicted on drug-related charges, into solitary confinement, signaling that their executions may be imminent. Efforts are underway by HRANA to confirm their identities.

Additionally, two death-row inmates at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, sentenced for murder and drug-related offenses, have been similarly placed in solitary confinement.

According to HRANA, in 2023, approximately 66% of execution reports were neither officially announced by judicial authorities nor covered by domestic media in Iran, underscoring a significant transparency issue in the judicial process.

16-Year-Old Mobin Sheykheh-Pour Arrested by Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia

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Children, News
Mahabad, Mobin Sheykheh-Pour, Urmia

On May 1, 2024, Mobin Sheykheh-Pour, a 16-year-old, was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence in Urmia, as Kurdpa reports.

Sheykheh-Pour was reportedly arrested after his presence at the Ministry of Intelligence office in Urmia. This follows a prior summons last month to the Ministry’s office in Mahabad, where he underwent interrogation and physical assault. The details of his condition and the charges against him are still undisclosed.

According to 2023 data compiled by the Department of Statistics, at least 130 individuals under the age of 18 were detained by security institutions.

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Two Inmates Executed for Murder in Karaj and Qom

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News
Ali-Asghar Fallah, Ghezel Hesar prison, Qom prison

Two inmates, both convicted of murder, were executed in separate incidents at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj and Qom Prison, according to recent reports.

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that on May 5, 2024, an inmate named Ali-Asghar Fallah, approximately 35 years old, was executed at Qom Prison.

Furthermore, Javan Online reported the execution of another inmate, identified only by his first name, Keyvan, on May 1 at Ghezel Hesar Prison. Keyvan was found guilty of a murder committed in Tehran seven years earlier. Alongside him, another inmate sentenced to death for murder, identified by his first name as Farzad, was also scheduled to be executed. However, Farzad received clemency from the family of the victim and was not executed.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

Two Individuals Detained by Security Forces in Piranshahr

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Freedom of Expression, News
Hossein Bayazidi, Naqadeh, Piranshahr, Somayeh Ghaderi

On May 6, 2024, security forces apprehended Somayeh Ghaderi and Hossein Bayazidi in Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan province, and transported them to an undisclosed location, according to Kurdpa.

Somayeh Ghaderi’s brother, Mohsen Ghaderi, is presently incarcerated in Naqadeh Prison on political charges. The individuals were reportedly taken from their residences without the presentation of any arrest warrant. As of now, the motive for their detention, their current whereabouts, and the specifics of the allegations against them remain unknown.

Shirin Saeedi Receives Five-Year Sentence on Political Charges

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News, Prisoners
Revolutionary Court of Tehran, Salavati, Shirin Saeedi, شیرین سعیدی

Shirin Saeedi, a political prisoner, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.

Currently held in the Women’s Ward of Evin Prison, Saeedi’s conviction stems from charges of “assembly and collusion to act against national security,” as determined by Judge Abolghasem Salavati of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court. Saeedi retains the option to appeal within a 20-day window.

The specifics of the alleged actions leading to this political charge remain undisclosed at present.

Approximately 53 years old, Saeedi resided in Lebanon for a period before returning to Iran, where she was summoned by judicial authorities on December 23, 2023. Subsequently indicted for “assembly and collusion against national security,” she was detained in Evin Prison.

On April 28, 2024, Mizan, the Judiciary News Agency, released a report erroneously linking Saeedi with another individual outside the prison who shares a similar name, possibly attempting to insinuate that Saeedi was not incarcerated in Evin Prison. In response, HRANA conducted a fact-check and refuted Mizan’s claim, ensuring that Saeedi’s imprisonment was not denied by the authorities.

Mahmood Mehrabi, a Political Prisoner, Receives Death Sentence

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Executions, News
Babak Eslami Farsani, Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan, Mahmood Mehrabi, Mahmoud Mehrabi, revolutionary court, محمود مهرابی

Mahmood (Mahmoud) Mehrabi has been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Isfahan on charges of “spreading corruption on earth.” He is currently held at Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan.

Babak Eslami Farsani, Mehrabi’s legal representative, relayed that Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court issued the death sentence. Farsani highlighted that they were only informed of the decision at court, with no written verdict provided. He expressed hope that the Supreme Court would address the perceived shortcomings in the ruling. The court justified the sentence by accusing Mehrabi of “widespread dissemination of false information on Instagram.”

Mehrabi was first detained by security forces on February 1, 2023, in Isfahan, and was temporarily released on bail on March 16, 2023, only to be rearrested at his home shortly after.

In September 2023, Mehrabi faced a series of additional charges, including propaganda against the regime, incitement of police and military forces to disobedience, incitement to war, crimes against national security, and insulting the founder and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In January of this year, he was further charged with publishing confidential information and committing acts of blasphemy, including insulting Shia Imams.

Mehrabi has a history of arrests and convictions linked to his activism.

Political Prisoner Siamak Nasiri Sentenced to Imprisonment and Exile

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News, Prisoners
Alborz province, HRANA, Karaj, Musa Asef-Al-Hosseini, Siamak Nasiri

The Appellate Court of Alborz province has reduced political prisoner Siamak Nasiri’s sentence from six years to three years and one month.

Branch 12 of the Appellate Court of Alborz province issued the verdict, sentencing Nasiri to three years and one month in prison, plus two years of exile in Ahvaz County, following his appeal.

Initially, the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Musa Asef Al-Hosseini, had sentenced Nasiri to five years in prison for “inciting people to violence and waging war against national security,” along with an additional year for “propaganda against the regime.” He was also required to reside in Ahvaz for two years.

Nasiri was arrested by IRGC Intelligence in Karaj on August 28, 2023, and is currently being held in the Central Prison of Karaj.

Previously, a source informed HRANA that Nasiri was detained in December 2022 in Karaj, where he was held in the Ministry of Intelligence’s facility. He was later transferred to the Central Prison of Karaj and subsequently released under a general pardon and commutation directive.