Public Execution: Prisoner Hanged in Kordkuy

HRANA – At dawn on August 21, a prisoner in Kordkuy County, previously sentenced to death for the murder of three people, was executed in public.

According to Mizan News Agency, the head of Golestan Province’s Judiciary reported that the man had been arrested in December last year for murdering three individuals—a married couple and a young woman – using a hunting rifle in Kordkuy.

Heydar Asiabi added that Branch Two of the Criminal Court One of Golestan Province sentenced him to public execution, a verdict later upheld by the Supreme Court. The execution was carried out on Thursday morning.

No further details, including the prisoner’s identity, were provided in the report.

Since the start of 2025, Iranian authorities have carried out eight public executions—a significant rise compared to previous years.

Two prisoners executed in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan

HRANA– At dawn yesterday, August 21, two prisoners were executed in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan. These prisoners had previously been sentenced to death in separate cases on charges related to drug offenses and murder.

HRANA has confirmed the identities of the prisoners as Taleb Rikani, from Khuzestan, and Hossein Karimi.

According to information received by HRANA, Mr. Karimi had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

Mr. Rikani had earlier been arrested on a charge of murder and subsequently sentenced to death by a Criminal Court.

As of the time of this report, the execution of these prisoners has not been announced by prison officials or judicial authorities.

According to HRANA’s report, in 2024, over 52 percent of executed prisoners had been convicted on drug-related charges. Over the past ten years, individuals convicted of drug trafficking have accounted for 40 percent of all executions. Unfortunately, HRANA’s statistics show no progress in reducing executions for drug-related offenses.

For the second time, Babak Shahbazi’s request for retrial rejected by the Supreme Court

HRANA – Branch 9 of the Supreme Court has for the second time rejected the retrial request of Babak Shahbazi, a political prisoner sentenced to death and currently held in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj.

Kian Shahbazi, Babak Shahbazi’s brother, confirmed in a statement yesterday that the retrial request had once again been dismissed by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court, under the authority of Judge Ghasem Mazinani.

Two days ago, after 12 days without any contact or information about his condition, Shahbazi was transferred to the public ward of Ghezel Hesar Prison. His family had previously voiced concern about the lack of information regarding his situation.

BBC Persian has previously reported that Babak Shahbazi’s death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Shahbazi was arrested on charges of espionage and sentenced to death, with prosecutors citing his attempt to send a message to the President of Ukraine as evidence for the charge.

He was initially arrested in December 2023 and transferred to Evin Prison. Following an Israeli airstrike on the facility, he, along with other political prisoners, was relocated to the Greater Tehran Penitentiary before later being moved to Ghezel Hesar Prison.

Three Prisoners Executed in Kerman Prison

HRANA- At dawn on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, the death sentences of three prisoners previously convicted on charges related to drug offenses were carried out in Kerman Prison.

HRANA has identified two of the executed prisoners as Safarali Keyfari and Milad Narouei. Keyfari, a resident of Kangavar, was the father of three children.

The third prisoner, whose identity is still being confirmed, was from Shiraz. He had been sentenced to death in the same case as Kamran Amraei – executed in the same prison last week – under Article 45 of the Islamic Penal Code, which prescribes the death penalty for certain drug-related offenses.

According to information received by HRANA, all three prisoners executed yesterday had been arrested in separate drug-related cases and subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and relevant institutions have not officially announced the executions.

According to HRANA’s report, in 2024, over 52 percent of executed prisoners had been convicted on drug-related charges. Over the past ten years, individuals convicted of drug trafficking have accounted for 40 percent of all executions. Unfortunately, HRANA’s statistics show no progress in reducing executions for drug-related offenses.

Two Prisoners Executed in Lakan Prison, Rasht

HRANA– At dawn today, the death sentences of two prisoners who had previously been convicted in separate cases on charges related to drug offenses and murder were carried out in Lakan Prison, Rasht.

HRANA has identified the prisoners executed at dawn on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, as Farshad Hamegan, 52, a resident of Lavandevil, Astara, and Hossein Mokhtari.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Mokhtari had previously been arrested on charges related to drug offenses and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

Mr. Hamgan had earlier been arrested on charges of murder and sentenced to death by the Criminal Court.

As of the time of this report, the executions have not been officially announced by prison authorities or responsible institutions.

In 2024, according to 812 reports compiled by HRANA, the Iranian regime executed 930 individuals in its prisons—marking the highest number of executions in the past 12 years. Despite the scale of these executions, prison officials and other relevant authorities publicly acknowledged only 6% of them, highlighting the regime’s lack of transparency and accountability.

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Drug-Related Charges: Six Afghan Nationals Executed in Bandar Abbas Prison

HRANA– At dawn today, the death sentences of six prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges were carried out in Bandar Abbas Prison.

According to HRANA, citing Haal Vsh, at dawn on Tuesday, August 19, six Afghan nationals were executed in Bandar Abbas Prison.

The identities of three of the executed prisoners have been reported as:

• Allah-Nazar Tajik, approximately 30 years old, father of one child
• Abdolraouf Noorzahi, approximately 50 years old, father of six children
• Abdolrahman Eshaqzahi, approximately 50 years old, and father of seven children

According to the report, all six prisoners had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

They had been transferred to solitary confinement in Bandar Abbas Prison on August 17 in preparation for their executions. The identities of the other three prisoners have not yet been established.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and judicial officials have not announced these executions.

According to HRANA’s report, in 2024, over 52 percent of executed prisoners had been convicted on drug-related charges. Over the past ten years, individuals convicted of drug trafficking have accounted for 40 percent of all executions. Unfortunately, HRANA’s statistics show no progress in reducing executions for drug-related offenses.

Larestan: Prisoner Executed in Public

HRANA – At dawn today, August 19, the death sentence of a prisoner convicted of murdering four members of a family in Beyram was carried out in public in Larestan, Fars province.

HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, has identified the executed prisoner as Sajjad Molaei Hekani.

According to information obtained by HRANA, in October of last year, Molaei Hekani, together with his wife, murdered a mother and her three children in Beyram during a robbery. Following his conviction, he was sentenced to public execution, while his wife, Mahsa Akbari, received a death sentence.

The Judiciary’s news agency reported: “The defendants were tried and convicted by Branch 5 of the Criminal Court One of Fars Province. Their sentences were later upheld by the Supreme Court, and the sentence of Ms. Akbari will be carried out inside prison in the presence of the victims’ family.”

In 2024, Iranian prisons witnessed the execution of 930 inmates. According to HRANA’s data, the number of executions carried out by the Iranian regime’s judiciary has risen steadily over the past five years.

Two Prisoners Executed in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan

HRANA– At dawn yesterday, August 18, the death sentences of two prisoners previously convicted of murder were carried out in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan.

HRANA has identified the prisoners executed yesterday as Behrouz Sedghi and Arash Mahjour.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Behrouz Sedghi, 28, and Arash Mahjour, 36, had previously been arrested on murder charges in separate cases and later sentenced to death by the criminal court.

As of the time of this report, the execution of these prisoners has not been announced by prison officials or judicial authorities.

According to HRANA’s statistics, in 2024, 61 inmates were hanged in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan — a 74% increase compared to the previous year. This sharp rise reflects a disturbing escalation in executions at this facility.

Two Prisoners Executed in Adelabad Prison, Shiraz

HRANA – At dawn yesterday, the death sentences of two prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges were carried out in Adelabad Prison, Shiraz.

HRANA has identified the two prisoners who were hanged at dawn on Sunday, August 17, as Ahmad Younesi and Mehdi Najafi.

Based on information obtained by HRANA, both prisoners had earlier been arrested on drug-related charges and subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

As of the time of this report, the executions have not been announced by prison officials or state media.

According to HRANA’s statistics, in 2024, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz witnessed the execution of 92 inmates — an 88% increase compared to the previous year. This sharp rise places Adelabad as the second deadliest prison in Iran after Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

Death Sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi Upheld by the Supreme Court

HRANA News Agency – Amir Raisian, attorney at law, announced that the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist held in Lakan Prison in Rasht, has been upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court.

Confirming the news, Mohammadi’s lawyer stated: “Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, which had previously overturned the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, this time—despite all persisting ambiguities and flaws in the case—upheld the ruling.”

According to Raisian, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court had earlier annulled the sentence due to numerous deficiencies, including the lack of evidence connecting her to armed operations, the failure to prove her membership in an organization classified under Baghi (armed rebellion) or a rebel group, as well as flaws in the intelligence agents’ report. The case had then been referred to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, but that court “treated the judicial officer’s report as conclusive evidence” and reissued the death sentence.

The lawyer stressed that the ruling of Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht merely repeated the earlier decision of Branch 1, without addressing the Supreme Court’s objections, relying solely on the intelligence report. Raisian added: “It was expected that the Supreme Court would once again overturn the ruling, but contrary to expectations, it did not.”

Reaffirming his client’s legal prospects, Raisian said: “We are still hopeful for retrial. We will continue to pursue a request for retrial and try to annul the death sentence of this prisoner through other legal avenues.” He expressed hope that given the numerous flaws in the case and the judicial process, the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi would be overturned and its enforcement stopped.

In late December of last year, the trial of Sharifeh Mohammadi’s charges was held in Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht. Prior to that, after the Supreme Court’s Branch 39 had overturned her death sentence, the case had been referred back to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht for retrial.

Mohammadi was sentenced to death on July 4, 2023, on charges of baghi (armed rebellion) due to her alleged membership in an opposition group. This sentence against the female labor activist triggered widespread public outcry.

Her trial, held on June 8, 2023, revolved around multiple charges, including propaganda against the regime, actions against national security, and baghi through her supposed affiliation with the group.

Mohammadi was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence at her home in Rasht on December 5, 2023. Later that month, she was transferred from Lakan Prison to Sanandaj Prison on December 30, only to be sent back to Lakan after some time.

A source close to her family told HRANA: “Sharifeh was a member of the Association of Labor Organizations until 2013, which has no ties to the Komala group. The charge of baghi is based on her alleged membership in this group, which is not true.”