Miandoab: Prisoner Executed in Public

HRANA– On Wednesday, July 9, a prisoner previously sentenced to death for the murder of four women was executed in public in the Baruq District of Miandoab County.

According to Mizan News Agency, the Chief Justice of West Azerbaijan Province stated: “The convict was accused of committing four counts of premeditated murder of Muslim women in the Baruq District of Miandoab. After proceedings in the prosecutor’s office and criminal court—with the presence of the defendant, their attorney, and the victims’ families—the Criminal Court Branch One issued a death sentence, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court.”

Nasser Atabati added: “At the request of the victims’ families, the death sentence was carried out at dawn today in public in the Baruq District of Miandoab County.”

In 2024, according to 812 reports compiled by HRANA, the Iranian regime executed 930 individuals in its prisons—marking the highest number of executions in the past 12 years. Despite the scale of these executions, prison officials and other relevant authorities publicly acknowledged only 6% of them, highlighting the regime’s lack of transparency and accountability.

Three Prisoners Executed in Birjand Prison on Drug Charges

HRANA News Agency – At dawn today, May 21, the death sentences of three prisoners previously convicted in a joint case on drug-related charges were carried out in Birjand Prison.

HRANA has identified the individuals as Naser Dahar, 40 years old, Ghanbar Ghaffari, and Nooreddin Mohammadzadeh, all from Miandoab County, West Azerbaijan province.

Yesterday, HRANA had reported that the three prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.

According to information received by HRANA, the individuals were arrested approximately two years ago on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death in a joint case by the Revolutionary Court.

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

According to HRANA’s report, in 2024, over 52 percent of executed prisoners had been convicted on drug-related charges. Over the past ten years, individuals convicted of drug trafficking have accounted for 40 percent of all executions. Unfortunately, HRANA’s statistics show no progress in reducing executions for drug-related offenses.

Miandoab: Seven Citizens Arrested by Security Forces

HRANA News Agency – Yesterday, seven residents of Miandoab—Sediq Abbasnejad, Behzad Barjasteh, Keyvan Barjasteh, Shahab Tavan, Nima Ghorbanzadeh, Mobin Majidzadeh and Khalegh Rahimi—were arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to Kurdpa, Sediq Abbasnejad is from the village of Qaleh Holakukhan, Behzad Barjasteh and Keyvan Barjasteh are from Miandoab, Shahab Tavan and Nima Ghorbanzadeh are from the village of Ebrahimabad, Mobin Majidzadeh and Khalegh Rahimi is originally from the village of Gavmish Goli but resides in the village of Shinabad.

According to the report, these individuals were arrested at dawn yesterday by security forces at their private residences without a judicial warrant.

As of the time of this report, no information is available regarding the reasons for their arrest, their whereabouts, or the charges against them.

Two Prisoners Executed in Miandoab Prison

Early this morning, December 12, two prisoners previously sentenced to death on murder charges were executed in Miandoab Prison.

The identities of the prisoners, confirmed by HRANA, are Sajjad Azizi and Ebrahim Valizadeh, both residents of a village in Miandoab.

Based on information received by HRANA, the two individuals were involved in a fatal altercation and were subsequently convicted of murder by the Criminal Court of Miandoab.

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

According to latest HRANA’s annual report over between October 10, 2023, and October 8, 2024, at least 811 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, rising to 23.06% compared to the same period last year. Of these executions, four were carried out in public. Many of the defendants were denied a fair trial.

Prisoner Executed in Miandoab Prison

On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, a prisoner who had previously been sentenced to death on murder charges was executed in Miandoab Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the executed prisoner has been identified as Sina Shams-Elahi, a resident of a village in Leylan County, East Azerbaijan Province.

A source close to the prisoner’s family confirmed the news to HRANA, stating: “Mr. Shams-Elahi was arrested a year ago on charges of murdering a man and was sentenced to death by the Criminal Court.”

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

According to latest HRANA’s annual report over between October 10, 2023, and October 8, 2024, at least 811 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, rising to 23.06% compared to the same period last year. Of these executions, four were carried out in public. Many of the defendants were denied a fair trial.

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Azerbaijani-Turk Activist Sayyad Mohammadian Arrested in Karaj

On Monday, November 25, 2024, Azerbaijani-Turk activist Sayyad Mohammadian was arrested by security forces at his home in Karaj and transferred to Kachooie Prison.

A source close to his family confirmed the arrest, stating: “Sayyad Mohammadian was detained by security forces at his residence in Karaj. Following inquiries by his family, they were informed that he was arrested to begin serving his six-month sentence.”

Mohammadian was previously arrested in Karaj by security forces on May 15, 2024, and later released on bail on June 15, 2024, from Karaj Central Prison.

He was convicted by the Karaj Revolutionary Court of “propaganda against the regime” and sentenced to six months in prison. The sentence was upheld by the Alborz Province Court of Appeals.

Sayyad (Ovchu) Mohammadian, from Miandoab, currently resides in a village near Karaj. He has previously faced arrest and interrogation for his activism.

Two Prisoners Executed in Miandoab Prison

At dawn on Monday, September 9, the death sentences of two prisoners convicted of murder were carried out in Miandoab Prison, according to a report by Kurdpa.

Their identities have been reported as “Soleiman Ghahremani, from Shahin Dezh, and Feyzollah Hosseinpour, married and father of three, from Shahin Dezh and residing in Bukan.”

These two prisoners were arrested five years ago on murder charges and were subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions 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.

According to the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran, in 2023, at least 767 citizens, including 21 women and 2 juvenile offenders, were executed. Of these, the executions of 7 individuals were carried out in public. Additionally, during this period, 172 others were sentenced to death, with 5 of them sentenced to public execution. It is worth noting that during the same period, the initial death sentences of 49 other individuals were also upheld by the Supreme Court.

Juvenile Offender Executed in Miandoab

On May 18, 2024, 20-year-old Ramin Sa’adat was executed at Miandoab Prison for a murder committed when he was 16 years and five months old, reports Kurdpa.

Sa’adat was arrested after a fatal altercation. He maintained throughout his trial that he had not delivered the deadly blows.

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. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

IRGC Detains Two Individuals in Miandoab After Nowruz Celebration

According to Kurdpa, on April 17, 2024, Mohsen Ghader-Rash and Omid Ghader-Nejad were arrested after being summoned to the IRGC Intelligence office in Miandoab and subsequently transferred to the city’s prison.

Ghader-Rash, 30, and Ghader-Nejad, 28, were allegedly summoned and detained for participating in the Nowruz celebration gathering.

Aram Gohari Detained in Miandoab

Aram (Hossein) Gohari, a former political prisoner and one of the individuals arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests, was apprehended by security forces in Miandoab on August 31. He was subsequently taken to the local Ministry of Intelligence office.

According to a source who spoke to HRANA, Gohari had been previously summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence but had refused to comply. Subsequently, authorities arrested him and brought him to the Ministry of Intelligence office.

The specific reasons for his arrest and the allegations against him remain unknown at this time.

In June 2022, Gohari was released on probation, having served the second year of his five-year sentence. However, during the 2022 nationwide protests, he was arrested twice by security forces.

Background on the 2022 Nationwide Protests

The arrest of Mahsa Amini by Tehran Morality Police for her improper hijab and her suspicious death on September 16 sparked protests sweeping across Iran. Protesters came to the streets with the central slogan “Women, Life, Freedom” in protest against the performance, laws and structure of the regime. During the nationwide protests, thousands of people, including journalists, artists, lawyers, teachers, students and civil rights activists, were arrested.