Four Prisoners Executed in Arak, Zanjan, and Birjand Prisons

HRANA – Today, July 29, two Afghan nationals who had previously been sentenced to death for murder were executed in Birjand Prison. In recent days, two other prisoners were also hanged in the prisons of Zanjan and Arak.

At dawn on Saturday, July 26, a prisoner named Abolfazl Shakeri was executed in Zanjan Prison. According to information received by HRANA, on Sunday, July 27, Hossein Akbari, 50 years old, was executed in Arak Prison. Akbari had been arrested three years ago on charges related to drug offenses and was subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

Finally, today, Tuesday, the death sentences of two Afghan nationals previously convicted of murder were carried out in Birjand Prison. HRANA has identified one of the two as Nazir Mohammad. Further details, including the identity of the second individual, are under investigation.

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

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.

Nine Inmates Executed in Qezel Hesar Prison

On November 15, 2023, authorities at Qezel (Ghezel) Hesar Prison carried out the execution of nine individuals on death row. HRANA has identified two of the executed as Nazir Mohammad, an Afghan national, and Bagher Mohammadi, both convicted of drug offenses.

Additionally, two other inmates faced execution for “enmity against God (Moharebeh) via armed robbery,” while the remaining five were convicted of murder.

The relocation of these individuals to solitary confinement was reported by HRANA one day prior to the executions.

As of the time of writing, no official statements from government sources or coverage by domestic media outlets within the country have been made regarding these executions.

According to data compiled by the Center of Statistics of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), between October 10, 2022, and October 8, 2023, a total of 659 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, representing a 24% increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Seven of these executions were conducted publicly. Concerningly, many of the defendants were denied access to a fair trial and due process. For details and statistics, read HRANA’s report.