Tag: mass executions

Execution of 14 Prisoners on Murder and Drug-Related Charges

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Executions, News
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Amid ongoing concerns over the lack of judicial transparency and widespread internet disruptions in Iran, at least 14 prisoners were executed in various prisons across the country in the last four days. These prisoners had previously been sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses and murder.

Based on information received by HRANA, Rastin Noorian was executed on Tuesday in Behbahan Prison on a charge of murder. On the same day, Farshid Darabi in Sari Prison and Changiz Ghafoori in Bukan Prison were also executed on murder charges. In addition, Amirali Haghighat-Doost was hanged on Tuesday in Gonabad Prison on charges related to drug offenses. On Wednesday, Houshang Maleki in Ferdows Prison, Touraj Rashidi in Esfarayen Prison, Shaho Safari in Sanandaj Prison, and Jalal Papi in Nowshahr Prison were all executed on murder charges. Two other prisoners were executed in Rasht Prison on murder charges; the identity of one of them, Ashkan Kalehri, has been confirmed by HRANA.

On Monday, Iman Zamani was executed in Quchan Prison on charges related to drug offenses. Additionally, on Wednesday, Momen Abdi-Pour was executed in Mahshahr Prison on a charge of murder. Meanwhile, today, Thursday, January 22, Abdullah Panjshiri, an Afghan national, was executed in Taybad Prison on charges related to drug offenses. Nariman Sohrabi was also executed in Bojnord Prison on a murder charge.

Further details, including the identity of one of the prisoners executed in Rasht Prison, are still under investigation by HRANA.

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

According to HRA’s annual report, at least 2,063 people were executed in Iran during the one-year period from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. This represents a 119% increase in executions compared to 2024. In many of these cases, due to secrecy, prisoners were denied even the right to a final visit with their families.

Execution of at Least 22 Prisoners on Charges of Murder and Drug-Related Offenses

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HRANA – Amid nationwide protests and the continued widespread internet shutdown in Iran, between January 12 to January 15, 2026, the death sentences of at least 22 prisoners, including one woman, were carried out in various prisons across the country. These individuals had previously been sentenced to death on charges including murder, drug-related crimes, and moharebeh (enmity against God) through armed robbery.

Based on HRANA’s findings, on Monday, January 12, 2026, Arta Saei was executed in Nowshahr Prison on a charge of murder. On January 13, four other prisoners were executed: Akram Rezaei (female) and Hamzeh Jafari, both on murder charges in Rasht Prison; Kourosh Bozorgmehr on a charge of moharebeh through armed robbery in Sanandaj Prison; and Mohammadjavad Naeimi on a murder charge in Gonabad Prison.

On Wednesday, January 14, 11 prisoners who had previously been sentenced to death on murder charges were executed in various prisons. Among them were three prisoners in Shiraz Prison, one of whom has been identified as Sharif Dehghani; Armin Aghapour in Bushehr Prison; Jalil Shahbazi in Mashhad Prison; Ali Agha Hemmati in Chabahar Prison; Mousa Askari in Damghan Prison; Mehrshad Asadabadi in Mahabad Prison; Seyed Ali Hatami in Ferdows Prison; Ehsan Ansari in Quchan Prison; and Aziz Morad Hosseini in Esfarayen Prison. On the same day, Borzou Mahdinia was executed in Malayer Prison and Farshad Heydari-Kia in Bojnurd Prison. These two prisoners had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

Continuing on Thursday, January 15, four more prisoners were executed on murder charges. On that day, Azim Omari was executed in Behbahan Prison; Saleh Kaabi in Mahshahr Prison; Omid Jamshidi in Sari Prison; and an Afghan national in Taybad Prison.

Further details, including the identification of three of the prisoners, are still under investigation by HRANA.

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

The continued large-scale implementation of death sentences amid internet shutdowns and severe restrictions on the flow of information has intensified concerns over the lack of judicial transparency, prisoners’ denial of access to fair trials, and the heightened risk of violations of the right to life. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that carrying out executions in a securitized and opaque environment increases the likelihood of serious human rights abuses.

According to the HRA’s annual report, at least 2,063 people were executed in Iran during the one-year period from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. This represents a 119% increase in executions compared to 2024. In many of these cases, due to secrecy, prisoners were even denied the right to a final visit with their families.

Execution of at Least 52 Prisoners in Iran on Murder and Drug-Related Charges

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Executions, News
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HRANA – Concurrent with nationwide protests in Iran and amid a widespread internet shutdown across the country, the execution of at least 52 prisoners has been reported in 42 different prisons. These individuals had previously been sentenced to death on charges including murder, drug-related offenses, and other non-political and non-security-related accusations.

Their sentences were carried out between January 5 to 14, 2026. These executions took place under conditions in which public access to information was severely restricted, and independent oversight of judicial proceedings and the implementation of sentences was effectively impossible.

A review of the information received by HRANA indicates that despite the imposition of severe communication restrictions nationwide, the implementation of death sentences continued without interruption. Based on these findings, the executions were carried out in at least 42 prisons across various provinces of Iran, covering a wide range of geographical areas.

Between Monday, January 5 to 12, at least 37 prisoners were executed in various prisons across the country:
Mohammadjavad Rasouli executed in Nowshahr Prison on Monday, January 5; Arsalan Arabi in Rasht Prison on Tuesday, January 6; and Mahyar Mohammadi in Sanandaj Prison on Wednesday, January 7, all on murder charges. Additionally, on Saturday, January 10, multiple executions on murder charges were recorded in different prisons, including Mostafa Sheikhi in Khorramabad Prison, Samyar Emkani in Kermanshah Prison, Ebrahim Rayati in Hamedan Prison, Bahman Shokri in Dezful Prison, and Masoud Mardani in Yasuj Prison.

Furthermore, on Sunday, January 11, the executions of Simrad Zali in Borujerd Prison, Ayin Mousavi in Qom Prison, Hamid Khatib in Ardabil Prison, Jabbar Gholipour in Qazvin Prison, and Alireza Bagheri in Tabriz Prison were reported, all on murder charges. Also, on Monday, January 12, the executions of Ali Teymouri in Gorgan Prison, Parviz Khani in Neyshabur Prison, Sobhan Ghasemi in Dorud Prison, Hossein Jalili in Zanjan Prison, Javad Bahrami in Saveh Prison, Sajad Bamari in Kerman Prison, and Habibollah Shakeri in Kashan Prison were reported on murder charges.

In addition to murder charges, a number of the executions were reported to have been carried out on drug-related charges. Ahmad Hemmati was executed in Gonabad Prison on Wednesday, January 7; Khodarahm Mehri in Esfarayen Prison on the same day; Vali Karambeigi-Nejad in Quchan Prison on Thursday, January 8; Mehdi Babaei in Nahavand Prison on Saturday, January 10; Abdolhossein Zakipour in Arak Prison on Sunday, January 11; and Mola Joozipour in Semnan Prison on Sunday, all on charges related to drug offenses.

During the current week, a new wave of executions has been reported. On Saturday, January 10, the execution of two prisoners in Karaj Prison on drug-related charges was recorded; the identity of one of them was announced as Sasan Amini. On the same day, the execution of three prisoners in Aligudarz Prison on murder charges was reported, with the identities of two of them announced as Reza Shahmohammadi and Younes Parsa. On Sunday, January 11, the execution of two prisoners in Bandar Abbas Prison on murder charges was also reported, with the identity of one of them announced as Behzad Niazi. Additionally, on Monday, January 12, the execution of four prisoners in Isfahan Prison on murder charges was recorded, with the identity of one of them announced as Sattar Ahmadi.

On Tuesday, January 13, at least 10 prisoners were executed in various prisons across the country. According to available information, six prisoners were executed on murder charges, including Sohrab Fathi in Birjand Prison, Morteza Gholami in Ilam Prison, Mohammad-Amin Boghlani in Ahvaz Prison, Hamed Latifi in Yazd Prison, Najafali Navabi in Jiroft Prison, and Jalal Bakhtiari in Borazjan Prison. On the same day, Karim Piri in Bam Prison, Keyomars Sanaei in Khaf Prison, and Aziz Alipanahi in Yazd Prison were executed on charges related to drug offenses, and another prisoner was executed in Yazd on non-political and non-security-related charges.

On Wednesday, January 14, the execution of at least five prisoners on murder charges was also reported: Dariush Bozorgi  in Mahabad Prison; Mostafa Azizi and Arman Mohammadian in Kashmar Prison; Yaser Akbari in Shahrekord Prison; and Khosrow Abdi in Sabzevar Prison.

Further details, including the identification of seven of the prisoners, are still under review by HRANA.

As of the time this report was compiled, the executions of these prisoners have not been officially announced by prison authorities or responsible institutions.

The continuation of the widespread implementation of death sentences amid internet shutdowns and severe restrictions on the flow of information has intensified concerns over the lack of judicial transparency, prisoners’ denial of access to fair trials, and the heightened risk of violations of the right to life. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that carrying out these punishments in a securitized and opaque environment increases the likelihood of serious human rights violations.

According to HRA’s annual report on the human rights situation in Iran, at least 2,063 people were executed in Iran during the one-year period from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. Based on this report, executions increased by 119% compared to 2024. In many of these cases, due to secrecy, prisoners were even denied the right to a final visit with their families.