Iranian Jewish Citizen Arvin Ghahremani Executed

At dawn on Monday, November 4, Arvin Ghahremani (also known as Nathaniel), a young Iranian Jewish man, was executed in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah. His execution followed a conviction and death sentence stemming from a deadly altercation, as reported by Mizan, the judiciary’s media outlet.

Ghahremani had been arrested in November 2022 after a dispute over financial issues with Amir Shokri, a Muslim citizen, escalated into violence, resulting in Shokri’s death. Following a swift judicial process, Ghahremani was sentenced to death.

The Kermanshah Prosecutor’s Office stated that Ghahremani’s trial included his chosen legal representation, who filed three appeals for a retrial—all denied by the Supreme Court. Despite efforts by prominent figures to negotiate with Shokri’s family for a pardon or to accept blood money (diyah), the family ultimately refused, demanding the death sentence be carried out.

Previously, HRANA reported rising concerns among Iran’s Jewish community and human rights advocates about Ghahremani’s case, particularly the rejection of his retrial requests and the execution’s impending likelihood.

Human rights activists argue that qisas (retributive justice) laws in Iran exhibit systemic discrimination against religious minorities, as these laws are applied unequally. Under Iranian law, qisas mandates capital punishment if a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, but does not apply the same punishment if a Muslim kills a non-Muslim; in such cases, only blood money or lesser punishments are typically imposed. Activists assert that this disparity undermines fair trial standards and the equal rights of non-Muslim citizens.

This lack of legal protection has historically enabled extrajudicial killings of non-Muslim citizens, especially Iran’s Baha’i community, by extremist groups, intensifying concerns about religious discrimination in Iran’s justice system.

Amir Hossein Haghjooyan Arrested by Security Forces

On September 23, 2024, Amir Hossein Haghjooyan, a relative of Reza Rasaei, an executed protester, was arrested by security forces in Sahneh County, Kermanshah province, and transferred to an undisclosed location.

A source close to the family confirmed to HRANA: “Mr. Haghjooyan was detained by several members of IRGC Intelligence in Sahneh and moved to an unknown location.”

As of now, no details have emerged regarding the reasons for his arrest or the charges he may face.

Haghjooyan is the son of Kheirallah Haghjooyan, a member of the Yarsan Civil Activists Consultative Assembly, and a cousin and close companion of Reza Rasaei, who was executed in August 2023.

It’s important to note that Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei, arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests, was secretly executed at dawn on August 6, 2023, in Dizelabad Prison, Kermanshah, without prior notice to his family or a final meeting with them.

Yarsanism, also known as Ahl-e Haqq, is a syncretic faith founded in western Iran during the 14th century by Sultan Sahak. As a religious minority, followers of Yarsan often face systemic persecution and harassment by Iranian authorities.

Reza Rasaei Executed in Dizelabad Prison, Kermanshah

On Tuesday, August 6, Reza Rasaei, arrested during the nationwide protests of 2022, was executed in Dizelabad Prison, Kermanshah.

Mr. Rasaei’s execution took place at dawn today, Tuesday, August 6, in Dizelabad Prison, Kermanshah, without prior notice to his family or the opportunity for a final meeting with them.

Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei, 34 years old, a follower of the Yarsan faith and a resident of Sahneh County, was sentenced to death by Branch 2 of the Criminal Court of Kermanshah in mid-October last year for the charge of “involvement in the intentional murder of Nader Birami, the head of the IRGC’s intelligence in Sahneh County.”

Following the confirmation of Reza Rasaei’s death sentence by the Seventeenth Branch of the Supreme Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Barani, his case was referred to the Judgment Enforcement office on December 31, 2023.
A while ago, Branch 1 of the Supreme Court rejected the request for a retrial for this prisoner, calling it “lacking legal requirements.”

In addition to the capital punishment, Rasaei faces other charges, including non-fatal injury, threatening with a knife, and disturbing public order by causing unrest. Initially, he received additional penalties such as Diya (wergild), a year sentence, and 74 lashes.

The judge’s reliance on “forced confessions obtained from Rasaei during interrogation” played a significant role in his conviction and the imposition of the death penalty.

Rasaei was apprehended on November 24, 2022, by the police and subsequently detained in Sahneh County. Following the completion of the interrogation process, he was transferred to Dizel-Abad prison in Kermanshah.

Several other detainees of protests in Sahneh County on the November 18, 2022, also faced charges of murdering the head of the IRGC’s intelligence in this county. Seyed Masoum Razavi and (first name unknown) Beigi were among the other defendants in this case, with Masoum Razavi reportedly acquitted of the charges. The fate of the other defendant in this case remains unknown.

Prisoner Executed in Dizelabad Prison, Kermanshah

On Sunday, July 21st, the execution of Danial Kazemi-Nejad, who had previously been sentenced to death for “killing a Basij militia force,” was carried out in Dizelabad Prison, Kermanshah, according to Kurdpa.

Based on this report, Danial Kazemi-Nejad, 30 years old, was arrested on July 9, 2023, for the alleged murder of a Basij officer named Sajad Amiri and was subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.
The execution was reportedly carried out without prior notice or a final meeting with his family.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing.
In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed.

Inmate Executed in Kermanshah for Murder

On May 2, 2024, an inmate convicted of murder was executed in Dizelabad Prison, Kermanshah.

HRANA reported that the executed individual was Ali Ashraf-Khani. A source close to his family confirmed the execution.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of this execution at the time of writing. In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed.

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Inmate Executed in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah City

On Sunday, an inmate convicted for murder was executed in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah City.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, the inmate was identified as Mosayeb Faraji, a resident of Islamabad.

Reportedly, two years ago, he was arrested and charged with committing murder and subsequently was sentenced to death by judicial authorities.

The execution has not been announced by judicial authorities or reported by media inside Iran.

The most recent report from the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between January 1 of 2021 and December 20 of 2021, at least 299 citizens, including four juvenile offenders, were executed. In addition, 85 citizens were sentenced to death in this period.

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 88% of executions. These unreported executions are known as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

Dizelabad Prison Authorities Execute Juvenile Offender Sajad Sanjari Without Notifying Family

At dawn on Monday, August 2, Sajad Sanjari was executed in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah. His family was not notified or allowed to visit him before the execution.

According HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Amnesty International, Sanjari was arrested in 2010 at the age of 15 on murder charges and sentenced to death.

Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stated, “With the secret execution of Sajad Sanjari, the Iranian authorities have yet again demonstrated the utter cruelty of their juvenile justice system. The use of the death penalty against people who were under 18 at the time of the crime is absolutely prohibited under international law and constitutes a cruel assault on child rights.”

In December 2016, the spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the authorities of the Islamic Republic to suspend the execution of Sajad Sanjari, a juvenile accused of murder.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1 and December 20 of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed.

One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death. According to the same report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary, which human rights organizations call “secret” executions.

Recently, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, Secretary of the state-run High Council for Human Rights, Majid Tafreshi, said that the Islamic Republic executes juvenile offenders “three to four times a year”, and claimed this should not be considered a human rights violation.

“The fact that Sajad Sanjari was executed in secret, denying his family and him even the chance to say goodbye, is an alarming pattern of the Iranian authorities carrying out executions in secret or at short notice to minimize the chances of public and private interventions to save people’s lives” Eltahawy further stated of Sanjari’s execution. “We urge the Iranian authorities to put an end to these abhorrent violations of the right to life and children’s rights by amending the penal code to ban the use of the death penalty against anyone who was under 18 at the time of the crime immediately.”