Category: News

Supreme Court Annuls Death Sentence of Shahin Vasaf; Retrial Results in 10-Year Term

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, Salmas, Shahin Vasaf, Urmia, Urmia prison, شاهین وصاف

HRANA – Following the annulment of political prisoner Shahin Vasaf’s death sentence by the Supreme Court and the referral of his case to a parallel branch, he has now been sentenced to 10 years in prison by Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court.

According to information obtained by HRANA, the Supreme Court had previously overturned Mr. Vasaf’s death sentence. In August of this year, his retrial was held before Branch 1 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court as the designated parallel branch. Two days ago, the court issued its verdict, sentencing him to 10 years in prison.

Mr. Vasaf was first arrested by security forces in September 2022. Following his interrogation at The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Urmia, he was transferred to Urmia Prison.

In late 2023, Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court had sentenced him to death on the charge of “espionage for Israel.”

Shahin Vasaf, 29, is a native of Salmas and a resident of Urmia.

A Prisoner Executed in Malayer Prison

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Executions, News
HRANA, Malayer, Mohammadali Gholizadeh

HRANA – At dawn on Monday, September 8, the death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted of murder was carried out in Malayer Prison, Hamadan province.

HRANA has identified him as Mohammadali (Mohammad-Ali) Gholizadeh. Based on information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Gholizadeh had earlier been arrested on charges of murder and subsequently sentenced to death by a criminal court.

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

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.

Report on the Arrest and Release of Three Attorneys in Rasht

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Lakan prison, Masoumeh Pour-Shahrani, Mohammadreza Tak, Rasht, Tahereh Pour-Esmaeili

HRANA – Tahereh Pour-Esmaeili, Mohammadreza Tak, and Masoumeh Pour-Shahrani, three attorneys residing in Rasht who had been arrested by security forces over the past week, have been released from Lakan Prison in Rasht after posting bail.

A source close to the families of these citizens told HRANA: “Tahereh Pour-Esmaeili, Mohammadreza Tak, and Masoumeh Pourshahrani were arrested by security forces last week  and transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht.”

The source added: “Ms. Pour-Esmaeili and Ms. Pour-Shahraniare facing charges of blasphemy and insulting the Supreme Leader, and have also been threatened with the revocation of their law licenses, fabrication of cases, and sexual harassment. Mr. Tak’s arrest was linked to his role as defense attorney in security-related cases. Although bail had been set for them, the prosecutor handling their cases initially refused to accept it. Ultimately, in recent days, the three attorneys were released on bail. The bail amount for Ms. Pour-Esmaeili was set at 2 billion tomans, and for Ms. Pour-Shahrani at 500 million tomans.”

At least 13 attorneys in Gilan Province have recently faced judicial and security pressures, including summonses and arrests.

Tahereh Pour-Esmaeili, Mohammadreza Tak, and Masoumeh Pour-Shahrani are licensed attorneys residing in Rasht. Mr. Tak has previously faced security-related harassment.

Arian Rostami Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
Arian Rostami, IRGC Intelligence, Nariman Shafiei, Qasr-e Shirin

HRANA – Arian Rostami, a resident of Sarpol-e Zahab, has been sentenced by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Qasr-e Shirin to five years in prison.

According to Kurdpa, the verdict was issued by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Qasr-e Shirin, presided over by Judge Nariman Shafiei, and was officially communicated to Mr. Rostami on September 6. Under the ruling, he has been sentenced to five years in prison on the charge of “membership in a group with the intention of disrupting national security.”

According to a source cited in the report, “The court relied on a report from the IRGC Intelligence of Qasr-e Shirin in issuing the sentence against this citizen.”

Arian Rostami is a resident of Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah Province.

Two Citizens Arrested by Security Forces in Marivan

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News, Other
HRANA, Kiumar Adwaie, Marivan, Mostafa Adwaie

HRANA – On Saturday, September 6, security forces arrested two residents of Marivan, Kiumars Adwaie and Mostafa Adwaie, and transferred them to an undisclosed location.

According to Kolbar News, the two men are residents of Selin village, a district of Marivan County. Their arrests took place at their home, without the presentation of a judicial warrant.

As of this writing, no information has been made available regarding the reasons for their detention, their current whereabouts, or the charges against them.

Arbitrary arrests, transferring detainees to undisclosed locations, and leaving families in the dark about the fate of their loved ones are routine practices of the Iranian regime’s security agencies, such as the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Unit. This pattern of behavior stands in clear violation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.

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Drug-Related Offenses; Execution of Two Prisoners in Arak Prison

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Executions, News
Abdolreza Karimi, Ahmad Rafiei, Arak prison, HRANA

HRANA – At dawn on Sunday, September 7, the death sentences of two prisoners who had previously been convicted on charges related to drug offenses were carried out in Arak Prison.

The identities of the prisoners, executed at dawn on Sunday have been confirmed by HRANA as Ahmad Rafiei and Abdolreza Karimi.

Based on information obtained by HRANA, the two prisoners had earlier been arrested on charges related to drug offenses and subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Courts.

As of the time of this report, the executions of these prisoners have not been announced by prison officials or the relevant 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.

Seven Prisoners Executed in Tabriz Prison

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Executions, News
Babak Omarzadeh, Hooshang Henareh, Keyvan Mamedi, Najib Azarm, Tabriz Prison, Tofigh Nemati, Urmia

HRANA – On Sunday, September 7, the death sentences of seven prisoners convicted in separate cases on drug-related charges were carried out in Tabriz Prison.

HRANA has confirmed the identities of five of the executed prisoners as Tofigh Nemati, Hooshang Henareh, Babak Omarzadeh, Keyvan Mamedi, and Najib Azarm. The Iran Human Rights has reported the identities of the other two as Sadegh Bahmani and Mojtaba Salemi.

Details available include: Tofigh Nemati, from Bardizi village near Urmia; Hooshang Henareh, from Khalian village near Urmia; Babak Omarzadeh, 45, from Gonbad village near Urmia; and Keyvan Mamedi, 43, from Derik village in Salmas. Najib Azarm was identified as the son of Haj Ali Kalankani. According to Iran Human Rights, both Bahmani and Salemi were residents of Tabriz.

The prisoners had been arrested in separate cases on charges related to drug offenses and were subsequently sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and other relevant institutions have not publicly 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.

Ayat Gholami, Sunni Cleric, Sentenced to Imprisonment

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ayat Gholami, HRANA, Kermanshah

HRANA – The sentence of Ayat Gholami, a Sunni cleric, has been revised by the Special Clerical Appeals Court in Tehran to five years and six months in prison, with five years suspended.

According to Kurdpa, the Appeals Court handed down this new sentence, which includes charges of “propaganda against the regime,” “spreading falsehoods,” “disturbing public opinion,” and “insulting Fatemeh, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.”

Gholami was arrested on April 23 after being summoned to the Special Clerical Court in Kermanshah and was released on April 26 on bail set at 700 million tomans.

He had previously been summoned by security agencies for defending Sunni beliefs and imprisoned clerics, protesting the killings of kulbars (cross-border porters) and fuel carriers, criticizing authorities, and organizing Sunni religious ceremonies.

Ayat Gholami is the former prayer leader of the Mohammad al-Mostafa Mosque in Kermanshah and a teacher at a religious seminary.

Crackdown on Gilan Lawyers: 3 Arrested, 10 Summoned

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Freedom of Expression, News
Gilan province, Hesam Pourahmadi, HRANA, Lakan prison, Rasht, Shadi Falahati, Shahrzad Sharbiyani

HRANA – In recent days, at least 13 defense lawyers in Gilan Province have been subjected to judicial and security measures, including summonses and arrests. Among them, Shahrzad Sharbiyani, Shadi Falahati, and Hesam Pourahmadi have been arrested and remain in an uncertain situation.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Hesam Pourahmadi and Shahrzad Sharbiyani are currently held in Lakan Prison in Rasht, while the whereabouts of Shadi Falahati remain unknown. HRANA had previously reported on the arrests of these individuals.

The newspaper Etemad has also reported that more than ten other lawyers in Gilan Province have been summoned to judicial and security bodies. According to this report, charges such as “propaganda against the regime” and “assembly and collusion against the country” have been brought against them. However, Etemad did not provide the names of the summoned lawyers or specify the authorities that issued the summonses.

Several lawyers, including Parto Borhanpour and Saleh Noghrehkar, have publicly condemned these measures against their colleagues and called for an immediate end to such actions.

Eskandar Bazmandegan and Mohammad Kashefi Executed on Charge of Moharebeh

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Executions, News
Eskandar Bazmandegan, HRANA, Mohammad Kashefi, moharebeh

HRANA – Eskandar Bazmandegan and Mohammad Kashefi, two prisoners previously sentenced to death on the charge of moharebeh (enmity against God), were executed at dawn on Sunday, August 24, in Adelabad Prison, Shiraz.

The two prisoners, both Sunni, have been identified as Eskandar Bazmandegan, from Bandar Khamir in Hormozgan Province, and Mohammad Kashefi, from Khour in Fars Province.

They were arrested approximately two years ago and later sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts on the charge of moharebeh. According to information obtained by HRANA, authorities accused them of membership in an operational support team connected to the attack on the Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz. Their families, however, have consistently stated that both men denied the allegations throughout interrogation and trial.

A source close to the families told HRANA: “During their detention, these two prisoners were denied access to legal counsel. Their trial was conducted behind closed doors.”

Reports received by HRANA indicate that the executions of Mr. Bazmandegan and Mr. Kashefi were carried out without prior notice to their families, who were therefore deprived of the right to a final visit. Additionally, their bodies have not yet been returned to their families since the execution.

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.