According to a reliable source, who spoke with HRANA, Farghadani was apprehended following her appearance at Evin Courthouse. The specific grounds for her arrest and the allegations against her remain undisclosed at this time.
It is worth noting that Farghadani has previously faced legal repercussions for her activism.
HRANA has identified one of these individuals as “Einollah Badri-Nejad.”
Earlier, HRANA had reported the relocation of these inmates, indicating that the implementation of the death penalty was imminent.
As of now, no official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have reported on these executions.
In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.
According to a reliable source who spoke to HRANA, IRGC Intelligence apprehended him on a street in Mashhad. The source stated that Tavili is a family member of an Iran-Iraq war martyr.
Presently, the motive behind this arrest and the specific allegations against him remain undisclosed.
HRANA has identified these individuals as Sha’aban Yousefi and Bazi (first name unknown). A source informed HRANA that Yousefi, convicted of murder, was executed on May 16, 2023, in Gorgan Prison.
According to his source, Bazi, who received the death penalty for killing someone during an inheritance dispute, was executed on May 23, 2023.
As of the time of this report, there have been no official statements or reports from domestic media outlets regarding these executions.
In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.
According to HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, 129 attorneys have been subject to various judicial encounters, such as arrests and summonses, due to reasons ranging from practicing their profession to expressing opinions on social media.
HRANA has verified the names of forty-three lawyers who have been summoned to court. Although the reasons behind many of these summonses remain unclear, reports and documents received by HRANA indicate that they are likely linked to incidents regarding the 2022 nationwide protests or the lawyers’ expressions of opinions on social media. In the past two months, most of the summonses issued by judicial authorities have been communicated to the attorneys, as reported by HRANA.
A judiciary attorney, whose name is confidential at HRANA, revealed, “Some of the lawyers summoned to Evin court have been compelled to sign a letter of commitment entitled ‘the necessity to adhere to the law and the principles of the regime.'” These commitments bear resemblance to a letter of commitment presented to some of those arrested during the nationwide protests as a condition for receiving a pardon.
Furthermore, fifty-five judiciary attorneys across the country have been arrested and faced legal action since the onset of the nationwide protests. It is important to note that the majority of these lawyers have been temporarily released on bail pending the conclusion of legal proceedings. Additionally, a number of these legal cases have been closed under the “pardon and commutation” directive.
In a recent statement, Mohammad Shiwayi, the Secretary of the Support Commission of the Central Bar Association, disclosed that approximately 70 attorneys have been summoned to Tehran’s security court. The identities of 43 out of a total of 70 summoned attorneys have been confirmed by HRANA and are included in the list. HRANA is currently reviewing the identities of the remaining 27 attorneys.
Speaking with Vokalapress, Shiwayi clarified, “Since May 8, 2023, some judiciary attorneys have received summonses from Tehran’s security court, primarily from Branch 7 of Evin (Shahid Moghaddas) Security Courthouse. However, these summonses do not specify any allegations or reasons.”
“During a meeting with Hassan Saffadoust, head of the Central Bar Association, and Hamidreza Mohammadi, the head of the public relations of this association, we decided to take action to protect the legal rights of attorneys across the country, with a particular focus on its members,” Shiwayi added.
Verified names of summoned attorneys from across the country:
1. Mohammad Hossein Aghasi – summoned in two stages in February-March 2023 and May 20, 2023 – Tehran (Evin court) – Reason for summons: Unclear (probably due to expression of opinion)
2. Ramin Safarnia – summoned on December 22, 2022 – Bushehr – Reason for summons: Representing the case of his client Mahmoud Molaki, a trade activist
3. Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani – summoned on May 23, 2023– Tehran (Evin court) – Reason: Unclear (probably due to expression of opinion)
4. Mohammad Hadi Erfanian Kasab – summoned on February 28, 2023 – Tehran (Evin court) – Reason for summons: Unclear (probably due to expression of opinion)
5. Mohammad Seifzadeh – summoned on April 29, 2023 – Tehran (Evin court) – Reason for summons: Writing a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations
6. Ehsan Haqi – Summoned on unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
7. Hassan Younesi – Summoned on May 23, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
8. Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi – Summoned on unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
9. Amin Adel Ahmadian – Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
10. Mohammad Hadi Jafarpour – Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
11. Samin Charaghi – Summoned on May 21, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
12. Sara Hamzehzadeh – Summoned on May 24, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
13. Mahmoud Sadeghi – Summoned on May 23, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
14. Farzaneh Zilabi – Summoned for June 6, 2023 – Ahvaz – Reason for Summons: Posting contents online
15. Tootia Partovi Amoli – Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
16. Yashar Kazemi – Summoned on May 20, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
17. Shayan Zadegan – Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
18. Forough Sheikh al-Islami – Summoned on May 24, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
19. Amirhossein Ghafarian – Summoned on May 21, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
20. Mohammad Lavasani – Summoned on May 24, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
21. Abolfazl Hamzeh – Summoned on May 20, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
22. Marjan Esfahanian – Summoned on May 23, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for Summons: Unknown (Presumably due to expressing opinion)
23. Marzieh Mohebi – Summoned on February 27, 2023 – Khorasan Razavi – Reason for Summons: Handling in the special court under Article 49 of the Constitution
24. Alireza Seyed Aghayi- Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse)-Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
25. Rezvan Abbasi Farajzadeh-Summoned on May 21, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse)-Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
26. Mohammad-Reza Fard Parsa-Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse)-Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
27. Parisa Ghasemi -Summoned on May 1, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse)-Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
28. Mitra Izadifar- Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse)-Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
29. Mehdi Karimi Farsi – Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
30. Mohsen Borhani- Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Clergy Court) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
31. Elham Ayoubi – Summoned on April 30, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Accused of propaganda against the regime
32. Elnaz Moqimi – Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
33. Mostafa Shabani – Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
34. Mehran Heidari – Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
35. Majid Sabouri – Summoned on May 22, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
36. Saeed Sheikh – Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
37. Abouzar Nasrallah – Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
38. Ali Mojtehedzadeh – Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
39. Reza Heidari – Summoned on May 30, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
40. Mahboubeh Joudaki – Summoned on May 30, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
41. Leila Ghasemi Pashaki – Summoned on June 1, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
42. Bahareh Fesharki – Summoned on an unknown date – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
43. Zahra Mirbik Darvishond – Summoned on May 21, 2023 – Tehran (Evin Courthouse) – Reason for summoning: Unknown (Possibly due to expressing opinions)
Names of lawyers arrested since the inception of the 2022 nationwide protests:
1. Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani – January 8, 2023 – Tehran – Last status: Free on bail
2. Saideh Mirghorbani – December 3, 2022 – Babolsar – Last status: In detention
3. Fereshteh Tabanian – February 20, 2023 – Ahvaz – Last status: Free on bail
4. Hassan Younesi – February 20, 2023- Tehran – Last status: Free
5. Mostafa Nili – February 20, 2023 – Tehran – Last status: Free
6. Negin Kiani – October 23, 2022- Tabriz – Last status: Free and fined
7. Saeid Ataei Kachuei -October 8, 2022- Alborz – Last status: In detention
8. Oveis Hamed Tavasoli -November 16, 2022- Tehran – Last status: Free
9. Arash Keykhsorui -November 19, 2022- Tehran – Last status: Free
10. Maryam Arvin -November 30, 2022- Sirjan – Last status: Case closed (deceased)
11. Sina Yousefi -October 15, 2022 – Tabriz – Last status: Free on bail and sentenced to prison and a fine
12. Ghasem Badi -October 15, 2022 – Tabriz – Last status: Free
13. Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi -December 15, 2022- Tehran – Last status: Free on bail
14. Hassan Asadi Zeydabadi – November 16, 2022- Tehran – Last status: Free
15. Saeid Sheikh -October 12, 2022- Tehran – Last status: Free on bail
16. Amin Adel Ahmadian – October 25, 2022- Last status: Free on bail
17. Nazanin Salari -November 1, 2022- Shiraz – Last status: Free on bail
18. Bahar Sahraeiyan – November 1, 2022- Shiraz – Last status: Free on bail
19. Mahmoud Taravat Rooi -November 1, 2022 – Shiraz – Last status: Free on bail
20. Behzad Hakimizadeh – 19th Dey 1401 – Sanandaj – Last status: Free on bail
21. Mohammad Reza Faghihi -October 12, 2022- Tehran – Last status: Free on bail
22. Ghodsiyeh Ghodsbin -November 2, 2022 – Shiraz – Last status: Free on bail
23. Ali Reza Zare -November 2, 2022 – Shiraz – Last status: Free on bail
24. Mehdi Safari – November 2, 2022 – Shiraz – Last status: Free on bail
25. Mohammad Hadi Jafarpour – November 2, 2022 – Shiraz – Last status: Free on bail
26. Sara Hamzehzadeh – December 2022-January 2023- Shahrood – Last status: Free with a guarantor
27. Farzaneh Zilabi -February 14, 2023- Ahvaz – Last status: Free with a guar
28. Babak Paknia –September 25, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Released on bail
29. Mahsa Gholamali – September 24, 2022 (Persian Calendar) – Tehran – Last status: Free
30. Amir Mehdi Pour -October 17, 2022– Tabriz – Last status: Released on bail
31. Hussein Rezai – October 18, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Free
32. Astarah (Maryam) Ansari -November 2, 2022 – Shiraz – Last status: Released on bail
33. Parisa Qasemi –October 9, 2022– Last status: Free
34. Asghar Mohammadi – Unknown date– Tabriz – Last status: Free
35. Reza Hamzeh I –November 20, 2022– Qazvin – Last status: Free
36. Milad Panahi Pour –September 24, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Released on bail
37. Saeed Jalilian –September 24, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Released on bail
38. Golaleh Vatan Doost –October 4, 2022– Sanandaj – Last status: Free
39. Amir Dehqani –October 8, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Released on bail
40. Reza Etemad Ansari –October 8, 2022– Isfahan – Last status: Released on bail
41. Zahra (Firoozeh) Khordadchi –October 8, 2022– Isfahan – Last status: Released on bail
42. Ruhollah Mohammadrezaei –September 30, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Released on bail
43. Mohammad Arman –February-March 2023 – Arak – Last status: Unknown
44. Fariba Tavakoli –January-February 2023 – Tehran – Last status: Released with a guarantor
45. Hadi Razavi –November-December 2022 – Mashhad – Last status: Free
46. Farzaneh Akbarian – November-December 2022 – Fars, Yasuj – Last status: Released on bail
47. Mohammad Taheran Pour – Unknown date– Tehran – Last status: Unknown
48. Zahra Nazari –November 21, 2022– Sari – Last status: Released on bail
49. Maryam Sadrnia –December 8, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Released on bail
50. Hussein Bayat – Unknown date – Tehran – Last status: Free
51. Ibrahim Sabety – December 2022, January 2023– Qazvin – Last status: Free
52. Amirafshar Najafi – January-February 2023 – Qazvin – Last status: Free
53. Qahraman Karimi –October 30, 2022– Kermanshah – Last status: Released on bail
54. Hussein Rezai -October 18, 2022– Tehran – Last status: Unknown
55. Mohammad Rezai – Unknown date– Tehran – Last status: Unknown
For further inquiries please contact Skylar Thompson, the Director of Global Advocacy and Accountability at Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) at [email protected]
On July 23, 2022, Iran Police Intelligence (FARAJA) arrested them in the Sumay-ye Beradust District of Urmia County.
Despite repeated inquiries from families and lawyers, the whereabouts of these individuals and the specific charges against them remain unknown. Families have sought answers from various prisoners and judicial authorities in Kurdistan, Isfahan, and Tehran, but have faced threats, disrespect, and coerced confessions broadcasted on Iran state TV instead.
Security-institution-affiliated news agency, Tasnim, reported the arrest of “a network of Israeli spies,” referring to these individuals. Tasnim also claimed that they possessed operational and communication equipment, as well as explosive materials, and had crossed into the country from the Kurdistan region with the intention of carrying out unprecedented terrorist operations in secure-sensitive locations.
Approximately 80 days after their arrest, Iran’s state TV aired their coerced confessions, accusing them of spying for foreign intelligence and stating that they had been apprehended in sensitive sites in Isfahan.
In response, Komalah (CPI-a Kurdish oppositional political party) issued a statement denying all these allegations and warned about intelligence institutions’ conspiring against detainees who have been accused of being members of the party.
According to HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency), two Afghan nationals who were found guilty of murder were executed on May 10, 2023, in Ghezel Hesar prison, Karaj. HRANA is working on identifying these individuals.
Furthermore, IRNA reported the execution of an inmate in Fereydunkenar, Mazandaran Province, on May 15, 2023. This inmate had previously been convicted of murder for the tragic suffocation of his wife and child using carbon monoxide.
According to the Tasnim News Agency, on the same day, May 15, five inmates were executed in Minab and Bandar Abbas prisons for their alleged involvement in drug smuggling.
This concerning surge in executions has become a cause for alarm in recent weeks. HRANA has obtained reports indicating that between April 28 and May 9, 2023, a minimum of 57 prisoners, including two women and two prisoners of conscience, have been executed in various prisons throughout Iran.
In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.
Amani, Rashidi and Rostami each received 91 days and were prohibited from taking a public service profession for two years. This punishment is for hindering religious vigilantes from carrying out their religious duty of “enjoining good and forbidding wrong,” which includes enforcing compulsory hijab.
As HRANA earlier reported, Bani-Razi was sentenced to over eight months, 148 lashes and additional punishments for not complying with the compulsory Hijab.
The four individuals were reportedly arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests and were later released on bond.
About the 2022 Nationwide Protests
The arrest of Mahsa Amini by Tehran Morality Police for her improper hejab and her suspicious death on September 16 sparked protests sweeping across Iran. During the nationwide protests, about 19600 people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, were arrested.
HRANA has identified the three inmates executed in Ghezel Hesar as Hossein Panjak, Abdolhossein Emami Moghadam, and Babak Aghaye. According to an informed source, they had been imprisoned for 17, 9, and 8 years, respectively. Mizan, the judiciary’s news agency, claimed that these individuals were members of a “cocaine cartel known as Panjak.”
Currently, five death-row inmates are still being held in solitary confinement, awaiting imminent execution.
On the same day, two inmates, convicted of drug-related crimes, were executed in Arak Prison. HRANA is working to identify these inmates.
None of the official sources or media outlets inside the country have reported these executions at the time of writing.
This recent surge in executions is alarming, as at least 65 prisoners, including two women and two prisoners of conscience, have been executed in various Iranian prisons over the past twelve days.”
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, there has been a noticeable increase in the execution of prisoners in Iranian prisons from April 28 to May 9, 2023.
Based on the reports compiled by HRANA, the death sentences were carried out in several prisons, including Rajai Shahr (Karaj), Ghezel Hesar (Karaj), Urmia, Salmas, Ardabil, Dastgerd (Isfahan), Vakilabad (Mashhad), Neishabur, Torbat-e-Jam, Rasht, Yazd, Birjand, Qazvin, Minab, Bandar Abbas, Zahedan, Khorramabad, and Iranshahr.
Out of the 57 executed prisoners, 36 were convicted of drug-related charges, 17 for murder, two for insulting the Prophet of Islam, and one for alleged “spreading corruption on earth.” In one case the charges remain unknown.
At least 38 death-row prisoners were also transferred to solitary confinement in Salmas, Urmia, Khorin, Ghezel Hesar (Karaj), Yazd, Bandar Abbas, Birjand, Adelabad (Shiraz) and Zahedan, which could be a prelude to their execution. HRANA is investigating their fate, and the statistics presented in this report could increase.
As of the time of writing, most of these executions have not been announced by official sources or media inside Iran.
The issuance and execution of death sentences violate the right to live and have been heavily criticized by international organizations, with Iran ranking first globally in execution rate per capita.
On May 9, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called these recent increases in executions “frightening” and urged Iranian authorities to halt all executions. “On average so far this year, over 10 people are put to death each week in Iran, making it one of the world’s highest executors,” said Türk.
In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports on the execution of 565 people and death sentences for 92 people, six of whom were sentenced to be hanged in public. Of these 565 executions, two death sentences were carried out in public, and five were juvenile offenders who were under 18 years old at the time of committing the alleged crime.
The breakdown of charges for these executions is as follows: 122 individuals were executed for drug-related offenses, 59 for murder, 6 for undisclosed charges, 1 for adultery, 1 for ideological charges, 1 for corruption, 1 for Moharebeh (political security), and 1 for non-political Moharebeh.
Skylar Thompson, the head of Global Advocacy and Accountability of Human Rights Activists, stated that “the surging rate of executions in Iran illustrates an utter disregard for human life. Under no circumstance does the ongoing use of the death penalty, for drug-related offenses in particular, amount to what is permittable under international law. Iranian authorities have an absolute obligation to uphold international human rights standards and instead, there is ongoing impunity for grave violations of the right to life–and more. The international community must not delay in sounding the alarm, they should call for a stay of executions for those currently facing execution and a moratorium on the death penalty, at a minimum, for crimes not amounting to “most serious” under international law.”
