Category: News

Two British Nationals Arrested on Security Charges in Kerman

Posted on by . .
News, Other
British citizens Arrested, HRANA, Hugo Shorter, Kerman

HRANA News Agency – Two British nationals, a man and a woman, have been arrested in Kerman on security-related charges. The Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Kerman Province, without disclosing their names, reported that the UK ambassador to Iran recently met with the detainees.

According to HRANA, citing IRNA, two British citizens have been detained in Kerman.

In an official statement, the Kerman Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office announced that Hugo Shorter, the UK ambassador to Iran, met with the two detainees at the Prosecutor’s Office in Kerman.

The report does not disclose the detainees’ identities, whereabouts, or further details regarding their case.

In recent years, Iranian authorities have arrested multiple foreign nationals on charges such as espionage or collaboration with hostile governments. Some of these detainees have been released following political negotiations. Human rights organizations and several Western governments have accused Iran of using such arrests as leverage in diplomatic disputes—an allegation Iranian authorities have consistently denied.

Prisoner Executed in Malayer Prison on Drug-Related Charges

Posted on by . .
Executions, News
execution for drug offenses, Javad Kakavand, Malayer Prison, ملایر

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on February 12, a prisoner previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges was executed in Malayer Prison, Hamadan Province.

HRANA has identified the prisoner as Javad Kakavand, who was hanged this morning.

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

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

According to data compiled by HRANA, 52.69% of all executions in Iran in 2024 were related to drug-related charges. Notably, only 6% of the executions were officially announced, highlighting a significant lack of transparency. For a detailed analysis of these executions and the associated statistics, see HRANA’s full report.

Political Activist Rahim Ghomeishi Arrested in Tehran

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News
Rahim Ghomeishi, Tehran, رحیم قمیشی

HRANA News Agency – Security forces arrested political activist Rahim Ghomeishi today, Wednesday, February 12, 2025, in Tehran and transferred him to an undisclosed location.

According to Emtedad, Ghomeishi, who had recently issued a call for a gathering on Thursday in front of the University of Tehran, was arrested this afternoon by security forces.

No information is available yet regarding his whereabouts or the charges against him.

Rahim Ghomeishi, a Tehran resident and political activist, is also a veteran of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war.

Arrest of Five Citizens, Including a Teenager, in Dehdasht

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News, Other
Amirhossein Jafari, Atefeh Tahernia, Jaber Foroughi, Kamran Buzari, Pouria Barati

HRANA News Agency – Last night, February 11, at least five residents of Dehdasht, including a teenager, were arrested by security forces.

Based on information received by HRANA, Amirhossein Jafari (17 years old), Atefeh Tahernia (Female), Kamran Buzari, Jaber Foroughi, and Pouria Barati were arrested separately by security forces in Dehdasht County in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, on February 12, 2025.

The detainees have been transferred as follows:

  • Amirhossein Jafari to the Dehdasht Juvenile Correctional Center,
  • Atefeh Tahernia to Yasuj Prison,
  • Jaber Foroughi and Pouria Barati to Dehdasht Prison.

As of now, the location of Kamran Buzari remains unknown.

HRANA is investigating further details, including the reasons for their arrests and the charges against them.

Jaber Foroughi has a history of previous arrests due to his activities.

Prisoner Executed in Dastgerd Prison on Drug-Related Charges

Posted on by . .
Executions, News
Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan, Shahbakhsh Pirsorani

HRANA News Agency – At dawn today, Wednesday, February 12, 2025, the death sentence of a prisoner convicted on drug-related charges was carried out in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan.

According to HRANA, citing Haal Vsh, a prisoner was executed in Dastgerd Prison early this morning. The individual has been identified as Mehdi Shahbakhsh Pirsorani, approximately 40 years old resident of Zahedan and father of one child.

According to the report, Shahbakhsh Pirsorani was arrested about six years ago in Naein, Isfahan, on drug-related charges. He was later sentenced to death by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court. On February 8, he was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for the execution and had his final visit with his family yesterday.

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

According to data compiled by HRANA, 52.69% of all executions in Iran in 2024 were related to drug-related charges. HRA reported 53 executions in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan, making it the fourth-highest among prisons in terms of execution numbers. For a detailed analysis of these executions and the associated statistics, see HRANA’s full report.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Uncertainty in Retrial Process: Latest Update on the Case of Behfar Lalehzari

Posted on by . .
News, Prisoners
Behfar Lalehzari, Evin Prison, HRANA, Iman Afshari, ایمان افشاری, بهفر لاله زاری

HRANA News Agency – Behfar Lalehzari, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, has been waiting for nearly nine months for a decision on his retrial request at Branch 39 of the Supreme Court.

A source close to Lalehzari’s family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating:
“Mr. Lalehzari submitted his retrial request nearly nine months ago, but Branch 39 of the Supreme Court has yet to review it. In protest against this negligence, he will begin a hunger strike.”

Lalehzari, who suffers from multiple health issues, has submitted nine requests for medical furlough, all of which have been denied by prison officials.

On September 18, 2023, security forces arrested Behfar Lalehzari at his home. After seven days in solitary confinement at the Security Police detention facility, he was transferred to Evin Prison.

Later, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, sentenced him to four years in prison for “assembly and collusion against internal security” and one year for “propaganda against the regime,” totaling five years. The verdict was upheld by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals.

Three Citizens Arrested by Security Forces in Khash

Posted on by . .
News, Other
Jaber Shahnawazi, Khash, Mahmoud Shahnawazi, Mehrab Shahnawazi

HRANA News Agency – Mahmoud Shahnawazi, Mehrab Shahnawazi, and Jaber Shahnawazi, residents of Khash County, were arrested yesterday by security forces in this county and transferred to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, citing the Baloch Activists Campaign, on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, three citizens were detained in Khash County. The identities of the detainees have been reported as, Mahmoud Shahnawazi, approximately 30 years old, married and father of two children, Mehrab Shahnawazi, and Jaber Shahnawazi.

All three are residents of the village of Eslamabad, a district of Khash County, Sistan and Baluchestan province.

No information is available yet regarding their whereabouts or the reasons for their detention.

Christian Citizens Naser Navard Goltapeh and Joseph Shahbazian Arrested in Tehran

Posted on by . .
News, Religious Minorities
Evin Prison, Joseph Shahbazian, Naser Navard Goltapeh, Parand, revolutionary court, Tehran, ژوزف شهبازیان, ناصر نورد گل تپه

HRANA News Agency – On Thursday, February 6, Naser Navard Goltapeh and Joseph Shahbazian, two Christian citizens residing in Tehran Province, were arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents and transferred to Evin Prison.

According to HRANA, quoting Article 18 News Outlet, the arrests took place in the early morning of February 6, 2025. Intelligence agents raided Naser Navard Goltapeh’s residence in Parand and Joseph Shahbazian’s home in Tehran, detaining both individuals. Following their arrest, they were taken to Evin Prison, where Goltapeh has since gone on a hunger strike in protest.

As of the time of this report, no information has been disclosed regarding the charges against them.

Both Goltapeh and Shahbazian have previously been arrested and imprisoned due to their religious beliefs and activities.

Joseph Shahbazian was sentenced to 10 years in prison and additional social restrictions by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on May 29, 2022, on charges of “establishing a house church and acting against national security.” This verdict was upheld by the Tehran Court of Appeals in August 2022. He was subsequently arrested on September 8, 2022, and transferred to Evin Prison. However, in February 2023, Iran’s Supreme Court overturned his conviction due to a “lack of sufficient evidence proving his leadership role,” leading to his release in September 2023.

Naser Navard Goltapeh was previously arrested in July 2016 during a private gathering and was later sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “establishing a house church.” He served his sentence in Evin Prison from 2017 without any furlough, and multiple requests for a retrial or conditional release were denied. After serving more than half of his sentence, he was released in October 2022.

Notably, while Christianity is officially recognized as a minority religion in Iran, security agencies view the conversion of Muslims to Christianity as a highly sensitive matter and respond with severe crackdowns on those involved in religious activism.

The persecution of Christian converts in Iran persists despite Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirm every individual’s right to freedom of religion, including the right to change their faith and to practice it openly or privately, alone or in community with others.

Two Prisoners Executed in Tabriz Prison

Posted on by . .
Executions, News
Farhad Abdoli, HRANA, Shahram Manafzadeh, Tabriz Prison

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Sunday, February 9, two prisoners who had been sentenced to death on charges of “rape” in a joint case were executed in Tabriz Prison.

According to HRANA, quoting Iran Human Rights, the executions took place without the prisoners having a final visit with their families. The executed individuals have been identified as 33-year-old Shahram Manafzadeh and 29-year-old Farhad Abdoli.

These two prisoners had previously been sentenced to death by the judiciary in a shared case on charges of “rape.”

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

In 2024, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 812 cases related to the right to life, including the sentencing of 214 individuals to death and the execution of 930 individuals. Among these, 4 executions were carried out in public. Of those executed, 818 were male, 26 were female, and 5 were juvenile offenders—individuals under 18 years old at the time of their alleged crimes.

Death Sentence and 25 Years in Prison for Three Detainees from the 2022 Protests

Posted on by . .
Executions, News, Prisoners
Ali Ghasemi, Bukan, Pejman Soltani, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, Soran Ghasemi

HRANA News Agency – Pejman Soltani, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri, and Ali (Soran) Ghasemi, who were arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests in Bukan, have been sentenced by Branch 1 of the Urmia Criminal Court to execution, 15 years, and 10 years in prison, respectively, on charges of killing a security officer. Kaveh Salehi, the fourth defendant in this case, has been acquitted of the charges.

Based on the verdict recently issued by Branch 1 of the Urmia Criminal Court and officially communicated to the defendants in prison, Pejman Soltani has been sentenced to death for allegedly ordering the killing of a security officer, while Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri and Ali Ghasemi have been sentenced to 15 and 10 years in prison, respectively, for alleged participation in the killing. Kaveh Salehi, the fourth defendant in this case, has been acquitted of the charges.

The trial for these individuals was held on December 23, 2023, in the aforementioned court. These individuals were arrested in April-April 2023.

In addition to this case, these individuals, along with Javanmard Mam-Khosrawi, are facing another trial in the Urmia Revolutionary Court on charges such as moharebeh (waging war against God), baghi (armed rebellion), assembly and collusion against national security, financing terrorism, propaganda against the regime, espionage and collaboration with hostile states, possession of satellite internet equipment (Starlink), possession of unauthorized weapons, and membership in banned groups.

Among them, Rezgar Beigzadeh Babamiri is currently on hunger strike in Urmia Prison in protest against the verdict and the prolonged uncertainty in his case.