Category: Executions

Four Prisoners Executed in Arak, Zanjan, and Birjand Prisons

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Executions, News
Abolfazl Shakeri, Arak, Birjand Prison, HRANA, Nazir Mohammad, zanjan, Zanjan Prison

HRANA – Today, July 29, two Afghan nationals who had previously been sentenced to death for murder were executed in Birjand Prison. In recent days, two other prisoners were also hanged in the prisons of Zanjan and Arak.

At dawn on Saturday, July 26, a prisoner named Abolfazl Shakeri was executed in Zanjan Prison. According to information received by HRANA, on Sunday, July 27, Hossein Akbari, 50 years old, was executed in Arak Prison. Akbari had been arrested three years ago on charges related to drug offenses and was subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

Finally, today, Tuesday, the death sentences of two Afghan nationals previously convicted of murder were carried out in Birjand Prison. HRANA has identified one of the two as Nazir Mohammad. Further details, including the identity of the second individual, are under investigation.

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

Two Prisoners Executed in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan

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Executions, News
Alireza Mir-Foroughi, Dastgerd Prison, HRANA, Isfahan, Saleh Hatami

HRANA– At dawn on Sunday, July 27, the death sentences of two prisoners previously convicted of murder were carried out in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan.

The identities of the two individuals have been confirmed by HRANA as Alireza Mir-Foroughi, 46 years old and a resident of Isfahan, and Saleh Hatami, a resident of Khuzestan.

According to information received by HRANA, Alireza Mir-Foroughi had been arrested on murder charges and later sentenced to death by the Criminal Court. Mr. Hatami was also arrested four years ago on similar charges and sentenced to death.

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

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 Minab Prison

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Executions, News
Amir Ghanbari, Fanuj, Isa Narooie, Minab Prison

HRANA – At dawn today, July 28, the death sentences of two prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges were carried out in Minab Prison.

Haal Vsh has identified the individuals as Isa Narouyi (Naderi), 35 years old, from the village of Karahmat in Fanuj County, and Amir Ghanbari, 26 years old, a father of two, from Delgan — both in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

According to the report, Mr. Narouyi was arrested in 2020, and Amir Ghanbari around six years ago, in separate cases involving drug-related offenses. Both were sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court and were transferred to solitary confinement on Saturday, July 26, for the implementation of their sentences. Their families had their final visits with them on Sunday evening.

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

According to HRANA reports, in 2024, only 6% of executions were announced by official bodies or domestic media outlets. Over the past five years, 77% of executions have gone unreported—commonly referred to as secret executions. In some of these cases, the lack of transparency is so severe that the death-row prisoners are denied even the chance for a final visit with their families.

Four Prisoners Executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison

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Executions, News
Behrooz Ehsani Eslamlou, Ghezel Hesar prison, Mehdi Hasani, Naser Nazari Tehrani, Saeed Kashani

HRANA – On July 27, alongside the executions of political prisoners Behrooz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hasani in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, two other inmates previously sentenced to death for murder were also executed.

HRANA has identified these two hanged prisoners as Saeed Kashani and Naser Nazari Tehrani.

According to information received by HRANA, Kashani and Nazari Tehrani had both been arrested on murder charges and sentenced to death by judicial authorities.

As of the time this report was compiled, the executions of these two individuals had not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant institutions.

According to HRANA’s statistics, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj carried out the highest number of executions among all Iranian prisons, with 150 inmates hanged. This figure has nearly doubled compared to the previous year — a deeply alarming increase that underscores the escalating use of capital punishment in Iran.

Political Prisoner Yaghoub Derakhshan Sentenced to Death

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Executions, News
Ahmad Darvish Goftar, Lakan prison, Manouchehr Fallah, Peyman Farah-Avar, Sharifeh Mohammadi, Yaghoub Derakhshan

HRANA– Yaghoub Derakhshan, a 50-year-old prisoner from Bandar Anzali, has been sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar. The sentence was formally delivered to him on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Sources familiar with the case told HRANA that during his first arrest in July 2024, Derakhshan was charged with “propaganda against the regime” and was released on bail after several weeks. However, during his second arrest, he was charged with the more serious offense of “armed rebellion (baghi).”

HRANA’s sources say the court proceedings were “unusually fast” and “lacked fair trial standards.” The trial was reportedly held via videoconference without the presence of his chosen defense lawyer, and his family was kept uninformed about the legal process.

These sources also reported that Derakhshan was subjected to intense physical and psychological pressure during interrogation, leading to coerced confessions which were later used as the primary basis for his death sentence.

A source close to the family stated: “The judicial process was neither transparent, nor fair, nor legal. Derakhshan was not given a chance to defend himself, and we were kept in the dark about the case.”

Lakan Prison, where Derakhshan is currently held, has been repeatedly criticized by human rights organizations for housing political prisoners alongside inmates convicted of violent crimes, its lack of access to medical services, and unsanitary conditions.

Due to a lack of transparency from the judiciary, specific details of Mr. Derakhshan’s charges remain unknown.

HRANA’s investigations also show that Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar, who presided over this court, has issued similar sentences for political prisoners in Gilan over the past year, including for Manouchehr Fallah, Peyman Farah-Avar and Sharifeh Mohammadi.

Currently, based on data collected by HRANA, at least 56 prisoners in Iran face the death penalty on political and security-related charges.

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Seven Prisoners Executed in Yazd Prison

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Executions, News
HRANA, Yazd Prison

HRANA – On July 21, the death sentences of seven prisoners who had previously been convicted in separate cases on charges related to drug offenses and murder were carried out in Yazd Prison.

Four of the individuals were hanged on charges of murder, while the remaining three were executed for drug-related offenses.
According to information received by HRANA, one of the executed individuals was a resident of Bandar Abbas. All seven had been transferred to solitary confinement on Sunday in preparation for the implementation of their sentences.

Further details, including the identities of these individuals, are under investigation by HRANA.

As of the time this report was compiled, the executions had not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant institutions.

According to HRANA reports, in 2024, only 6% of executions were announced by official bodies or domestic media outlets. Over the past five years, 77% of executions have gone unreported—commonly referred to as secret executions. In some of these cases, the lack of transparency is so severe that the death-row prisoners are denied even the chance for a final visit with their families.

Behrooz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hasani Executed

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Executions, News
Behrooz Ehsani Eslamlou, Evin Prison, Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Mehdi Hasani, Mojahedin-e-Khalq

HRANA– On Sunday, July 27, the Judiciary’s Media Center announced the execution of Behrooz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hasani, two political prisoners accused of baghi (armed rebellion). Their death sentences had previously been upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran.

Mizan described them as “operational members” of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) and claimed they were involved in activities such as “establishing a safe house in Tehran, building and launching mortars, attacking public places, promoting the MEK’s agenda, damaging public property, and transmitting information and images to the group’s overseas contacts.”

Mehdi Hasani’s requests for retrial were rejected multiple times by the Supreme Court — the fourth and final rejection came recently. His third and second retrial requests were also denied earlier in the spring of 2025, with the first rejection occurring on February 23, 2025.

Similarly, Behrooz Ehsani Eslamlou’s retrial request was also rejected by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court in February 2025.

On January 26, 2025, Hasani and Ehsani Eslamlou, both sentenced to death, were transferred from Evin Prison to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj under the pretext of medical treatment. Their executions were temporarily halted after their retrial requests were submitted and accepted for review by the Supreme Court.

In late September 2024, both men were tried at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. They were convicted of charges including baghi, moharebeh (enmity against God), efsad-e-fel-arz (corruption on Earth), collecting classified information, and collusion against national security. The court sentenced them to death, and the verdicts were later upheld by Iran’s highest judicial authority and communicated to their lawyers.

Their membership in the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization was one of the primary bases for the charges.

Mehdi Hasani, aged around 48, was married and the father of two. He was arrested on September 9, 2022, while attempting to leave the country through Zanjan Province and was later transferred to Evin Prison. Behrooz Ehsani Eslamlou, 64 years old and a resident of Tehran, was arrested in December 2022 and also taken to Evin Prison.

Two Prisoners Executed in Hamedan Prison

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Executions, News
Ashkan Mehdipanah, Hamedan prison, Mehdi Heidari

HRANA – At dawn yesterday, July 24, the death sentences of two prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges were carried out in Hamedan Prison.

HRANA has identified the two men hanged at dawn on Thursday, July 24, 2025, as Ashkan Mehdipanah and Mehdi Heidari.

According to information received by HRANA, both individuals had been arrested on drug-related charges and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

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

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.

Execution of 7 Prisoners in Yazd Prison

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Executions, News
HRANA, Yazd Prison

HRANA– On Monday, July 21, the death sentences of seven prisoners who had previously been convicted in separate cases on charges related to drug offenses and murder were carried out in Yazd Prison.

Four of the individuals had been convicted of murder, while the remaining three were hanged on charges related to drug-related crimes.

According to information received by HRANA, one of the individuals was a resident of Bandar Abbas. All seven were transferred to solitary confinement on Sunday in preparation for the execution.

Further details, including the identities of the prisoners, are under investigation by HRANA.

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

Prisoner Executed in Arak Prison in Drug-Related Offenses

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Executions, News
Arak prison, HRANA, Mohammad-Javad Zare

HRANA – On Monday, July 21, the death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted on drug-related charges was carried out in Arak Prison.

HRANA has identified the individual executed yesterday as Mohammad-Javad Zare.

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

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

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.