Category: News

Drug-Related Charges: Three Prisoners Executed in Tabriz Prison

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Executions, News
HRANA, Jalil Moghanlou, Mehrdad Alivand, Tabriz Prison, Yadollah Kazemi

HRANA – Yesterday, 18 November 2025, the death sentences of three prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges were carried out in Tabriz Prison.

HRANA has confirmed the identities of the prisoners who were hanged at dawn yesterday: Mehrdad Alivand, Yadollah Kazemi, and Jalil Moghanlou. These individuals had been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts.

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

From the beginning of this year until the end of October, the Iranian regime has executed 1,286 people, marking an unprecedented increase compared to previous years.

Moloud Afand Arrested in Miandoab

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Freedom of Expression, News, Other
Miandoab, Moloud Afand, مولود آفند

HRANA – Moloud Afand, a resident of Miandoab, was arrested by security forces at his home. Officers searched his residence and confiscated several of his digital devices.

According to Kolbar News, the individual has been identified as Moloud Afand, a resident of Hasanabad village in Miandoab County, West Azerbaijan province.

According to the report, yesterday, November 18, agents of the Urmia branch of the Ministry of Intelligence entered his home without presenting a judicial warrant. After conducting a thorough search and seizing Mr. Afand’s electronic devices, they placed him under arrest.

The report states that following his arrest, he was transferred to one of the security detention centers in Urmia.

No information is currently available regarding the reasons for his arrest or the charges brought against him.

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.

Prolonged Detention and Legal Uncertainty for Ramin and Jahangir Rostami in Evin Prison

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News, Prisoners
Ehsan Rostami, Evin Prison, Harsin, HRANA, Jahangir Rostami, Ramin Rostami, جهانگیر رستمی, رامین رستمی

HRANA – More than a month after the arrest of Jahangir Rostami, a member of the Hersin Teachers’ Trade Association, and over three months after the arrest of Tehran resident Ramin Rostami, both men remain in a state of legal limbo in Evin Prison.

A source close to their families confirmed to HRANA: “It has now been 91 days since the arrest of Ramin Rostami and 33 days since the arrest of Jahangir Rostami. They continue to be held in The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, known as Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Both have been denied access to legal counsel, and no meaningful action has been taken to advance their cases.”

On 20 August 2025, security forces arrested Ramin Rostami in Tehran and subsequently transferred him to Evin Prison. According to information obtained by HRANA, he launched a hunger strike shortly after his arrest to protest his ongoing detention and the uncertainty surrounding his legal status.

Ramin Rostami, originally from Harsin, has previously worked in publishing and the book industry.

As for Jahangir Rostami, the 63-year-old retired teacher was violently arrested at his home by security forces on 17 October 2025 and transferred to Evin Prison. He is the father of Ehsan Rostami, a cultural activist from Harsin who was himself arrested on 19 August in Tehran.

As of this report, no information has been made available regarding the charges brought against either detainee.

Another Iranian–American Imprisoned in Evin Prison

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News, Prisoners
Evin Prison, HRANA, Jamshid Sharmahd, Reza Valizadeh, جمشید شارمهد, رضا ولی زاده

HRANA – Afarin Mohajer, an Iranian-American dual national residing in Los Angeles, has been in detention for 51 days and continues to be held in legal limbo in the women’s ward of Evin Prison.

According to HRANA, Ms. Mohajer, who had traveled to Iran for a visit, was arrested on Monday, September 29, 2025, at Imam Khomeini International Airport. No reliable information has yet been made available regarding the charges brought against her.

HRANA published an initial report on her arrest eight days ago, but it has now been confirmed that she also holds United States citizenship.

The arrest of dual nationals in Iran has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and Western governments over the past four decades. Critics argue that the Islamic Republic uses such detentions as tools of political pressure or bargaining leverage. This pattern began in 1979 with the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and continued in the following decades with the arrests of dual-national tourists, researchers, journalists, and activists.

In recent years, several similar cases have occurred. For example, Reza Valizadeh, an Iranian-American and former Radio Farda journalist, was arrested during a trip to Iran and sentenced to 10 years in prison, two years of exile, and social restrictions on charges of cooperation with the U.S. government. Additionally, Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German political activist residing in the United States, reportedly died in custody before his execution in October 2024.

Amid the rise in such cases, the European Union and several Western governments, including France and Germany, have issued warnings about the risk of their citizens being arrested in Iran and have advised them either to avoid traveling to Iran or to leave the country as soon as possible.

Appeals Court Ruling: Donya Hosseini Sentenced to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
Donya Hosseini, Iman Afshari, Khojasteh, Qarchak Varamin

HRANA – The prison sentence of Donya Hosseini has been upheld in full by Branch 36 of the Tehran Province Court of Appeals. Ms. Hosseini had previously been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to three years and six months of imprisonment.

Based on information received by HRANA, Ms. Hosseini was sentenced by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Khojasteh, to three years and six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime in support of strengthening the Israeli government.” This sentence had originally been issued at the preliminary stage by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari.

Donya Hosseini, also known by the alias “Donya Azad,” aged 36, was arrested in Tehran by security forces on June 16 of this year and released from Qarchak Varamin Prison on Sunday, August 3, after posting bail of 3 billion tomans.

In 2023, Ms. Hosseini was also sentenced in a separate case to five years of suspended imprisonment and a monetary fine.

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Drug-Related Charges: Three Prisoners Executed in Esfarayen Prison

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Executions, News
Armin Shokri, Esfarayen, HRANA, اسفراین

HRANA – At dawn today, three prisoners were executed in Esfarayen Prison, North Khorasan province. These individuals had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

HRANA has confirmed the identity of one of the prisoners hanged at dawn today as Armin Shokri. The other two prisoners were Afghan nationals. Based on information received by HRANA, they had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts.

Further details, including HRANA’s verification of all prisoners’ identities, are still under review.

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

From the beginning of this year until the end of October, the Iranian regime has executed 1,286 people, marking an unprecedented increase compared to previous years.

HRANA’s Report on the Execution of 31 Prisoners in Recent Days

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Executions, News
ahvaz, Aligudarz, Arak, Bam, Bandar-Abbas, Behbahan, Bukan, Damghan, Dezful, Gorgan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Khorramabad, Mashhad, Nahavand, Qom, Sabzevar, Salmas, Sanandaj, Semnan, Taybad, Yasuj, zanjan

HRANA – In recent days, authorities in several prisons across Iran have carried out the execution of dozens of inmates on drug-related and murder charges. The pace of executions this year has been unprecedented compared to previous years.

HRANA has documented the following executions in recent days:

Tuesday, November 11

• Reza Geraei, on drug-related charges, in Behbahan Prison

• Yaqub Dachi, 28, on murder charges, in Ilam Prison

Wednesday, November 12

• Abbas Beigi, on murder charges, in Yasuj Prison

• Saber Fallah, 33, on murder charges stemming from a street altercation, in Qom Prison

Thursday, November 13

• Qomri Abbaszadeh, 29, and Iraj Aghaei, 30, on murder and drug-related charges respectively, in Sari Prison

Saturday, November 15

• Nour Mohammad Rahmati, on drug-related charges, in Aligudarz Prison

• Yar Morad Hassanvand, on murder charges, in Khorramabad Prison

• Two prisoners executed in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah on murder charges; HRANA has confirmed the identity of one of them as Kamyar Fathi

•Jaber Saki and Jahan Rasouli, on murder and drug-related charges respectively, in Dezful Prison

Sunday, November 16

• Seyed Ali Hashemi of Karaj, on drug-related charges, in Salmas Prison

• (First name unknown) Yeganeh, on drug-related charges, in Bam Prison

• Habib Ezzati, on murder charges, in Sanandaj Prison

• Mohammad Amin Safari, on murder charges, in Bukan Prison

• Yasin Esfandiari, on drug-related charges, in Semnan Prison

• An unidentified prisoner, on murder charges, in Nahavand Prison

• Shokat Veisi (female), on drug-related charges, in Damghan Prison

• Amin Shokarkhodaei, on murder charges, in Arak Prison

• Mosib Khalavand, on drug-related charges, in Bandar Abbas Prison

Monday, November 17

• Reza Kamayi, on murder charges, in Sepidar Prison of Ahvaz

• Alireza Keshavarz, on murder charges, in Sabzevar Prison

• Amir Farkhnezhad, on drug-related charges, in Zanjan Prison

• Behzad Hasani, on murder charges, in Gorgan Prison

• Two prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges in Taybad Prison; HRANA has verified the identity of one of them as Javad Sattari

• Four prisoners were executed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on drug-related charges. HRANA has confirmed the identities of two of them as Shamseddin (surname unknown), an Afghan national, and Alimardan Barani.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and responsible institutions have not publicly announced these executions.

From the beginning of this year until the end of October, the Iranian regime has executed 1,286 people, marking an unprecedented increase compared to previous years.

Aminollah Koushkbaghi, a Baha’i Citizen, Arrested in Gonbad-e Kavus

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News, Religious Minorities
Aminollah Koushkbaghi, Arvin Avezpour, Baha'i citizen, Gonbad-e Kavus, HRANA

HRANA – Aminollah Koushkbaghi, a Baha’i citizen residing in Gonbad-e Kavus, was arrested by security forces on Wednesday, November 12, and transferred to an undisclosed location.

Based on information received by HRANA, Mr. Koushkbaghi, 69, was arrested on Wednesday, November 12, by security forces. Five days after his arrest, efforts by his family and relatives to obtain information about his fate have so far been unsuccessful.

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding his whereabouts, the reasons for his arrest, or the charges brought against him.

Around the time of this arrest, another Baha’i citizen in Gonbad-e Kavus, Arvin Avezpour, was also arrested by security forces and transferred to an undisclosed location.

Over the past decade, the Iranian Bahá’í community has been disproportionately targeted by Iran’s security forces and judiciary—more than any other minority group. In the past three years, an average of 72 percent of the reports on religious rights violations collected by HRANA have documented the Iranian regime’s repression of the Bahá’í community.

Family Concern Grows as Bita Shafiei Remains Detained Without Updates

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Freedom of Expression, News
IRGC Intelligence, khorramshahr, Shahin-Shahr, بیتا شفیعی

HRANA – Bita Shafiei, a resident of Shahin Shahr and the daughter of Maryam Abbasi Nikoo, has been detained for five days by IRGC Intelligence agents in Khorramshahr, with no information available about her whereabouts or condition. The absence of updates has heightened her family’s concern.

Based on information received by HRANA, Ms. Shafiei was arrested on Thursday, November 13, by IRGC Intelligence agents at the home of her relatives in Khorramshahr. She had traveled to Khorramshahr after the arrest of her mother, Maryam Abbasi Nikoo, from their residence in Shahin Shahr.

A source close to the Shafiei family confirmed to HRANA: “Despite the family’s efforts, none of the security or judicial bodies have provided any clear answers regarding her status. This situation has significantly increased the worries of her family and relatives.”

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for her arrest or the charges brought against her.

Bita Shafiei is the daughter of Maryam Abbasi Nikoo, a student who was arrested by security forces during protests related to the student poisoning incidents in Shahin Shahr and later released.

Abbas Peymani Arrested in Shahriar

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News, Other
Abbas Peymani, irgc, IRGC Intelligence, Shahriar, عباس پیمانی

HRANA – Yesterday, Abbas Peymani, a resident of Shahriar, was arrested by IRGC Intelligence agents and taken to an undisclosed location.

Based on information received by HRANA, Mr. Peymani was arrested on Sunday, November 16, by IRGC Intelligence agents.
So far, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for his arrest or his place of detention.

Abbas Peymani is a traditional-music singer and instrumentalist from Shahriar, where he also resides.

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