HRANA – Today, October 12, 2026, the Judiciary’s Media Center announced the execution of Omar Dorostaran, a security-related defendant from Rask County. The judiciary-affiliated outlet identified him as a member of an armed opposition group.
According to HRANA, citing Mizan News Agency, Omar Dorostaran has been executed.
The report did not specify the charges against Dorostaran but stated that he had been sentenced to death by the judiciary, that the verdict had been upheld by the Supreme Court, and that the sentence had been carried out.
The Judiciary’s Media Center claimed that Dorostaran was an active member of Jaish al-Adl and had played a key role in several of the group’s operations, including attacks on the Rask police headquarters, the IRGC headquarters in Rask, the Parud base, and military facilities in Chabahar in April 2024.
According to the news agency’s allegations, Dorostaran’s activities included arranging accommodation for group members, facilitating their entry into Iran, transporting operational teams to carry out armed attacks, procuring weapons and ammunition, and identifying military facilities as potential targets.
The report did not specify the exact date of the execution or the prison where the sentence was carried out.
Omar Dorostaran was arrested by security forces in Rask County on April 8, 2024. After 60 days in detention, he was transferred to the quarantine ward of Zahedan Prison. In October of the same year, he was transferred from prison to the IRGC Intelligence Organization’s detention facility in Zahedan for interrogation.
At the time of his arrest, the police commander of Sistan and Baluchestan Province accused Dorostaran of inciting public sentiment, insulting the police, and disrespecting officers who had been killed during clashes between law enforcement personnel and armed individuals in Sib and Suran County. Several social media channels affiliated with security institutions also published an image of Dorostaran, alleging that he had walked past the scene of the deadly confrontation while laughing.
Omar Dorostaran, son of Abdolghader, was a religious seminary student in the city of Pishin and a resident of Cheraghan village in Rask County. He was 25 years old at the time of his arrest.
Between October 10, 2025, and October 8, 2026, HRANA documented at least 2,003 executions across Iran, based on 1,857 reports, representing an increase of approximately 29% compared to the previous reporting period. During the same period, HRANA also documented 230 death sentences. For more detailed statistics and analysis of executions in Iran, read HRANA’s latest comprehensive report.
HRANA – Nahid Khodajou (Khodajoo), a labor activist, was arrested by security forces at her home six days ago. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
According to HRANA, citing the Free Union of Iranian Workers, labor activist Nahid Khodajou has been arrested.
According to the report, Nahid Khodajou was arrested by security forces at her home six days ago and transferred to an undisclosed location. Security agents also searched the labor activist’s residence.
At the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for Ms. Khodajou’s arrest or the charges brought against her.
HRANA – Zhila Sadeghi (Moghen), a Baha’i citizen residing in Isfahan, was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. She is currently being held in solitary confinement at Dowlatabad Prison in the city.
According to HRANA, citing IranWire, Zhila Sadeghi, a Baha’i citizen, has been in detention for six days.
According to the report, Ms. Sadeghi was arrested at her home in Isfahan on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and transferred to Dowlatabad Prison in the city. She is currently being held in one of the prison’s solitary confinement cells.
The report further states that, in addition to arresting this Baha’i citizen, the agents confiscated her family’s vehicle.
At the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for Ms. Sadeghi’s arrest or the charges brought against her.
Zhila Sadeghi (Moghen), a Baha’i citizen residing in Isfahan, is the mother of Sarir Moqen, another Baha’i citizen imprisoned at Dowlatabad Prison. Sarir Moghen has also been held in solitary confinement at Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan for more than a month and a half.
Over the past decade, the Baha’i community in Iran has been subjected to more security-related and judicial persecution than any other religious minority in the country. According to HRA’s annual reports, an average of 62.41% of all reported violations of the rights of religious minorities during the past calendar year involved violations of the rights of Baha’i citizens.
HRANA – Reza Shoja Mazraji, a teacher residing in Sarakhs County, located in Razavi Khorasan province, has been sentenced to four years, one month, and 17 days in prison by Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court.
According to HRANA, citing the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, Reza Shoja Mazraji has been sentenced to prison.
Based on the verdict issued by Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, Mr. Shoja Mazraji was sentenced to three years, six months, and one day in prison on the charge of “assembly and collusion to commit crimes against national security” and an additional seven months and 16 days on the charge of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
According to the report, the court hearing in his case was held in absentia. If the verdict is upheld, the most severe sentence will be enforceable.
On January 9, 2026, Reza Shoja Mazraji was arrested at his home in Sarakhs County by security forces. He was released on February 7, from the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Sarakhs after posting bail set at two billion tomans.
Reza Shoja Mazraji is a formally employed teacher with the Sarakhs County Department of Education and has 21 years of teaching experience.
HRANA – Malikeh (Fatemeh) Haghighat, a resident of Gorgan who is being held in the city’s prison, remains in a state of legal uncertainty 80 days after her arrest.
According to HRANA, Malikeh (Fatemeh) Haghighat, a resident of Gorgan, remains in detention.
Based on information received by HRANA, Ms. Haghighat has been held in Gorgan Prison for 80 days, and her legal case remains unresolved. A source close to her family confirmed this information to HRANA, stating: “She faces charges including propaganda against the regime, and no court hearing has yet been held to address the accusations against her.”
The informed source added that her online activities, including publishing content on social media, are among the grounds cited for the charges brought against her.
Malikeh (Fatemeh) Haghighat, 29, was arrested on July 22, 2026, after appearing at the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Gorgan and was subsequently transferred to the city’s prison. Prior to her arrest, she had received an official summons ordering her to appear before the judicial authority.
HRANA – Marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the Statistics Center of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) has released its annual report on the use of capital punishment in Iran. The findings point to a sharp intensification in executions, continued secrecy surrounding implementation of death sentences, and an increase in political and security-related executions.
Between October 10, 2025 and October 8, 2026, HRANA documented at least 2,003 executions across Iran on the basis of 1,857 reports, an increase of approximately 29% compared with the previous reporting period. During the same period, 230 people were documented as having been sentenced to death. The full report also includes detailed statistical analysis, profiles of political and security-related executions, and documentation concerning judicial officials involved in issuing or upholding death sentences.
Executions in Iran: Key Figures
Indicator
Data
Total executions documented
2,003
Change from previous period
Approximately 29% increase
Average frequency of execution
Approximately one person every 4.35 hours
Death sentences issued
230
Women executed
47
Juvenile offenders executed
4
Public executions
9
Political and security-related executions
69
Executions unannounced by official sources
Approximately 95%
Rising Executions and the Monthly Pattern
The 2,003 executions documented during the current reporting period represent the highest total recorded across the ten reporting periods examined in the report. Compared with 1,553 executions in 2024–2025, the total increased by approximately 29%. The current figure is also more than 182% above the ten-period average of 710 executions.
Monthly data show that executions peaked in December 2025. By contrast, March 2026 recorded the lowest total among complete months. The October 2026 figure covers only the first seven days of the month and therefore should not be compared directly with full-month totals.
CHART 1 — Monthly Executions
Charges: Murder and Drug Offenses Dominate
The distribution of charges resulting in execution shows a notable shift from the previous period. According to HRANA documentation, 57.56% of those executed were convicted of murder and 36.25% of drug-related offenses. Political and security-related moharebeh or baghi charges accounted for 2.40%; other or unknown charges for 1.10%; security charges including espionage, assassination or bombing for 0.90%; rape for 0.80%; non-political moharebeh for 0.80%; efsad-e fel-arz (corruption on earth) for 0.15%; and economic crimes for 0.05%.
Taken together, murder and drug-related offenses account for more than 93% of all documented executions. At the same time, the increase in political and security-related executions, and the connection of a significant number of those cases to protests, stands out as a defining feature of the current reporting period.
CHART 2 — Executions by Charge
Geography of Executions: Concentration in Several Provinces and Prisons
By location of execution, Razavi Khorasan recorded the highest number with 200 executions, followed by Isfahan with 164 and Alborz with 123. Fars recorded 119, Khuzestan 112 and Lorestan 102. These figures are calculated on the basis of prison location and do not necessarily reflect the place of residence or alleged offense of the person executed.
Per-capita figures provide a different picture, particularly in smaller provinces. The report cautions that prisoner transfers and executions carried out outside a prisoner’s province of origin can inflate provincial rates. Tehran is not included in the per-capita table because no executions were recorded there, and 30 executions with an unknown province were excluded from that calculation.
At the prison level, Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan and Adelabad Prison in Shiraz recorded the highest numbers of executions. The spread of executions across dozens of prisons, alongside clear concentration in several facilities, illustrates both the nationwide scope and localized intensity of the death penalty.
CHART 3 — Executions by Province
Secrecy, Public Executions and Gender
One of the report’s most significant findings is the continued lack of official transparency. Approximately 95% of documented executions were carried out secretly or without announcement in official or domestic media, while only about 5% were reported through official or domestic sources. This pattern sharply limits public oversight and independent assessment of execution practices.
Of the 2,003 executions documented, 9 were carried out in public, representing about 0.4% of the total. Forty-seven women were executed during the reporting period. Four people whose identities and case histories were verified were under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged offense. Overall, 2.3% of those executed were women, 88.8% were men, and the gender of 8.9% remained unknown in the available data.
In relation to sentencing, HRA documented 230 people sentenced to death. At least 16 of those sentenced were women, 6 were sentenced to public execution, and 74 death sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court.
Ten-Year Trend: The Highest Recorded Level
A review of ten reporting periods shows that, after executions declined from 505 in 2016–2017 to 238 in 2018–2019, the trend turned upward from 2019–2020 onward. The totals then rose through 249, 272, 528, 664, 823 and 1,553 before reaching 2,003 in 2025–2026.
This trajectory places the current one-year increase within a longer pattern of escalation. Continued restrictions on access to official information, together with the very high share of unannounced executions, mean that the documented figures should be understood as the minimum that could be independently verified rather than necessarily the complete number of executions carried out.
CHART 4 — Ten-Year Execution Trend
69 Political and Security-Related Executions
During the reporting period, HRANA documented 69 people executed on political and security-related charges. Of these, 35 people — approximately 51% — were executed in connection with the January 2026 (Dey 1404) protests. Twenty-nine people were executed in April and May 2026 alone, with 14 in April and 15 in May, marking the peak of executions in this category.
Among these 69 cases, 29 people were executed on charges of moharebeh, either alone or alongside other charges. Where the province was known, Alborz accounted for the largest share with 19 cases, followed by Isfahan with 10. The province was unknown in 20 cases.
The full report provides an individual case card for each of the 69 people, setting out the charge, date of execution, case background, province or city, and prison where available. This case-level documentation allows the aggregate figures to be examined in greater detail and shows the diversity of charges and case backgrounds included within the political and security-related category.
Judicial Actors Involved in Issuing or Upholding Death Sentences
For the first time in this format of the annual report, a dedicated section documents judges and courts identified in death-penalty cases. This research covers October 10, 2025 through September 26, 2026, meaning that its documentation window ends twelve days before the October 8, 2026 cutoff used for the report’s main statistical sections.
HRA’s review found that several judges identified during the current period had also appeared in earlier political, security-related or protest cases involving death sentences. Among the examples examined are Abolghasem Salavati of Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Vahid Hemmatnejad of Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, Ahmad Darvish-Goftar of Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, Reza Najafzadeh of Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, and Seyed Mahmoud Sadati of Branch 1 of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court.
The report emphasizes that this list is not exhaustive. Iranian authorities routinely withhold information about capital proceedings, and public reporting often fails to identify the presiding judge or even the relevant branch. Accordingly, the absence of a judge’s name from the report should not be read as evidence that the judge was not involved; rather, it reflects the limits of independently verifiable information.
A separate section also addresses Supreme Court review and distinguishes between issuing a death sentence at trial and later upholding or reviewing that sentence. The available documentation identifies judges from Branches 9, 20, 39 and 41 of the Supreme Court in connection with specific death-penalty cases.
Methodology and Data Limitations
HRA’s Statistics Center relies on HRANA reporting, a nationwide volunteer network, verified open-source material, and official judicial announcements. Because independent human rights groups cannot operate freely in Iran, access to prisons and courts is restricted, and many executions are deliberately concealed, a margin of error is unavoidable.
The figures in this report therefore reflect the capacity of civil society to document and independently verify executions rather than a claim to a flawless count of every execution carried out. The fact that approximately 95% of executions were not announced by official sources underscores the importance of independent monitoring and verification in assessing the true scale of capital punishment in Iran.
Access the Full Report
The full report contains detailed statistical tables, charts, provincial and prison-level data, profiles of all 69 people executed on political and security-related charges, and the section documenting judicial officials. For case details, sources and supporting data, download and read the complete report.
HRANA – Today, seven residents of Saqqez were arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in the city and taken to an undisclosed location.
According to HRANA, citing Kolbar News, today, Thursday, October 8, 2026, seven citizens were arrested in Saqqez.
The individuals have been identified as Abdullah Amini, Rahim Haghparast, Seyed Mohammad Saleh Hosseini, Mohammad Hakimpour, Mostafa Ghaderi, Khaled Rahimi, and Hossein Abdollahi, all residents of Saqqez.
According to the report, Ministry of Intelligence agents simultaneously arrested the seven individuals at their homes in Saqqez and subsequently transferred them to an undisclosed location.
The arrests reportedly involved the use of violence, with agents physically assaulting and beating the individuals.
At the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the reasons for their arrests or the charges brought against them.
HRANA – Bahareh Aghaei, an attorney currently held in Qarchak Prison in Varamin, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
According to HRANA,attorney Bahareh Aghaei has been sentenced to prison.
Based on information received by HRANA, Aghaei was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, on charges including “propaganda activities against national security,” under Article 4 of the Law on Intensifying Punishments for Crimes Against National Security.
Bahareh Aghaeiwas arrested following the January 2026 protests and subsequently transferred to Qarchak Prison in Varamin. During her detention, she was held in solitary confinement at the prison for at least 15 days.
Bahareh Aghaei is a licensed attorney and a student of international law at the University of Tehran.
HRANA – Faramarz Saedi, a resident of Dehgolan, was arrested by security forces in the city on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, and transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Dehgolan.
According to HRANA, citing Kurdpa, Faramarz Saedi was arrested by security forces on a street in Dehgolan, Kurdistan province, on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
According to the report, Mr. Saedi was arrested without a judicial warrant and subjected to violence during his arrest. He was subsequently transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Dehgolan for interrogation.
At the time of this report, the reasons for his arrest and the charges against him remain unknown.
HRANA – Borzou Rezaei, who was arrested during the January 2026 protests and subsequently sentenced to death, was transferred yesterday, October 7, from the Greater Tehran Prison to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, where a large number of executions are carried out.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Borzou Rezaei, a prisoner sentenced to death, has been transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.
According to information received by HRANA, on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Rezaei was transferred from the Greater Tehran Prison to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj without prior notice. The reasons for his transfer remain unknown.
Mr. Rezaei was recently sentencedto deathby Branch 23 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on the charge of “collaboration with hostile governments.” The verdict was communicated to his lawyer following its issuance.
Borzou Rezaei, a resident of Kermanshah, was arrested in March 2026 in connection with the nationwide protests of January 2026. Following his arrest, he was transferred to the Greater Tehran Prison.
Background on January 2026 Protests:
It should be noted that protests and strikes by shopkeepers and bazaar merchants began in Tehran on Sunday, December 28, 2025, and within two days spread beyond markets and commercial centers. With the participation of students, citizens, and various social groups, these protests became one of the largest protest movements of recent years. Following the crackdown by security and law enforcement forces, thousands were killed or injured, and tens of thousands were arrested or summoned by security agencies. For more information, readers may refer to HRANA’s comprehensive report titled “Crimson Winter,” documenting the first fifty days following the outbreak of Iran’s nationwide protests.
