Tag: Sanandaj

Execution of 14 Prisoners on Murder and Drug-Related Charges

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Executions, News
Behbahan, Bojnord, Bukan, Esfarayen, Ferdows, Gonabad, HRANA, Mahshahr, mass executions, Nowshahr, Quchan, Rasht, Sanandaj, Sari, Taybad

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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Executions, News
Bojnurd, Bushehr, Damghan, Esfarayen, Ferdows, HRANA, Mahabad, Malayer, Mashhad, mass executions, Nowshahr, Quchan, Sanandaj

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
executions, executions in iran, HRANA, mass executions, Nowshahr, Sanandaj

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.

Eight Citizens Arrested During Protests

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Freedom of Expression, News
Abdanan, Amirhossein Khan Mohammadi, Aref Mirzaei, Arman Karami, Ashkan Sabzi, Behnam Fatehi, Behrouz Sheikhi, Mostafa Saffar, Rahmat Rashidi, Sanandaj

HRANA – During the 2026 protests, Behnam Fatehi, a resident of Sanandaj, and seven residents of Abdanan identified as Rahmat Rashidi, Behrouz Sheikhi, Ashkan Sabzi, Arman Karami, Aref Mirzaei, Amirhossein Khan Mohammadi, and Mostafa Saffar were arrested by security forces without the presentation of a judicial warrant and transferred to undisclosed locations.

HRANA has confirmed the identity of this citizen as Behnam Fatehi, a mechanic from Sanandaj, who was arrested yesterday by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Additionally, Kurdpa News Agency reported the arrest of seven citizens, Rahmat Rashidi, Behrouz Sheikhi (29 years old), Ashkan Sabzi, Arman Karami, Aref Mirzaei, Amirhossein Khan Mohammadi, and Mostafa Saffar, in Abdanan County.

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the charges against these individuals or their place of detention.

It is worth noting that gatherings and strikes by shopkeepers and merchants began in Tehran on Sunday, December 28, 2025, and after two days expanded beyond bazaars and commercial centers. With the participation of students, citizens, and various social groups, these protests have become among the most widespread demonstrations in recent years. For more information, readers may refer to HRANA’s detailed report on the twelfth day of the protests, published last night.

Uncertain Status of Iranian–Norwegian Citizen Shahin Mahmoudi Continues

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News, Prisoners
Sanandaj, Saqqez, Shahin Mahmoudi, شهین محمودی

HRANA – Eight days after her arrest, Shahin Mahmoudi, an Iranian-Norwegian dual national, remains in an uncertain legal situation at The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Sanandaj.

Based on information received by HRANA, Ms. Mahmoudi was summoned by telephone to the Ministry of Intelligence office in Saqqez on Sunday, December 14. Later that day, after appearing at the security agency, she was arrested. She was subsequently transferred to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility in Sanandaj.

So far, no information has been provided to her family regarding the charges against her. Her relatives remain completely unaware of the reasons for her arrest, her health condition, and the status of her case.

Ms. Mahmoudi had traveled from Norway to Iran on Friday, November 28, a trip that was followed by her arrest and the opening of a judicial case against her.

Shahin Mahmoudi, born in 1979, is originally from Saqqez and holds Norwegian citizenship. Her name is registered as Shine Mahmoudi in Norwegian identity documents.

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29 Prisoners Executed in Multiple Prisons Across Iran

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Executions, News
Aligudarz, Ardabil, Citizen executed, Dezful, Esfarayen, Execution, Gonabad, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Khorramabad, Nahavand, Nowshahr, Qazvin, Qom, Quchan, Sanandaj, Tabriz, Yasuj

HRANA – In recent days, the death sentences of dozens of other prisoners have been carried out in various prisons across Iran on charges of murder and drug-related offenses. This report details these executions:

Monday, December 8:

• Esfandiar Razaqi, on a charge of murder, in Esfarayen Prison
• Sattar Zahedifar, on drug-related charges, in Gonabad Prison

The Iran Human Rights Organization also reported the execution of four prisoners on drug-related charges in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. In addition to the execution of Mohammadbaqer Souri, which HRANA had previously reported, three other prisoners—identified as Shahram Mirzadeh, Fardin Rezaei (37 years old), and Habib Faridi (approximately 30 years old)—were hanged in this prison.

Tuesday, December 9:

• Mojtaba Dabir, on a charge of murder, in Nowshahr Prison, Mazandaran Province
• Majid Nazaran, on a charge of murder, in Quchan Prison, Razavi Khorasan Province
• Diako Farouqi, on a charge of murder, in Sanandaj Prison, Kurdistan Province

Saturday, December 13:

• Gholam Saljouqi, on drug-related charges, in Hamedan Prison, Hamedan Province
• Farshid Sagvand, on a charge of murder, in Aligudarz Prison, Lorestan Province
• Kaka Morad Jafari, on a charge of murder, in Khorramabad Prison, Lorestan Province
• Two prisoners on charges of murder in Kermanshah Prison; HRANA has confirmed the identity of one of them as Aziz Ali Moradi
• Hassan Torki, on a charge of murder, in Yasuj Prison
• Golmohammadi (first name unknown), on a charge of murder, in Nahavand Prison
• Hamzeh Sarlak, on a charge of murder, in Dezful Prison, Khuzestan Province

Sunday, December 14:

• Sadegh Abdi, on a charge of murder, in Qazvin Prison
• Abolfazl Dana, on a charge of murder, in Ardabil Prison
• Ali Eitivand, Kiumars Bahrami, Ehsan Yari, and Mohammad Karimi, on drug-related charges, in the Central Prison of Karaj, Alborz Province
• Sultan Morad Aslanpour, on drug-related charges, in Tabriz Prison
• Yaser Saki Zadeh, on drug-related charges, in Qom Prison
• Mohammad Amin Bakhtiari, on drug-related charges, in Semnan Prison
• Mohammad Dinari, on drug-related charges, in Arak Prison, Markazi Province
• Farhad Abdouli, on a charge of murder, in Dezful Prison

Additionally, a prisoner with an unknown identity was executed on a charge of murder in Borujerd Prison

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

Death Sentence of Varisheh Moradi Overturned

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News, Prisoners
Baghi, Evin Prison, Mostafa Nili, Reza Rasaei, Sanandaj, Varisheh Moradi

HRANA – The death sentence of Varisheh (Verisheh) Moradi, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, has been overturned by the Supreme Court, and her case has been sent to an equivalent branch for retrial.

Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, announced moments ago that the Supreme Court has nullified his client’s death sentence after reviewing her appeal. According to him, the ruling was overturned due to procedural violations and the failure to properly inform the defendant of the charges used as the basis for issuing the death sentence during proceedings in Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

In November 2024, Ms. Moradi had been sentenced to death on the charge of baghi (armed rebellion) by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati.

In October 2024, in a separate joint case opened against her and four other prisoners inside the prison, Ms. Moradi was sentenced by Branch Two of the Qods Judicial Complex in Tehran to six months’ discretionary imprisonment. In that case, she faced charges of assaulting an officer and disobedience. The case stemmed from an incident on August 6, when Evin women’s ward prisoners protested after learning of the execution of Reza Rasaei, leading to confrontations with prison guards.

Varisheh Moradi was arrested in August 2023 by security forces in the outskirts of Sanandaj. She was eventually transferred on December 26 of that year from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, known as Ward 209 of Evin Prison, after the completion of interrogation, to the women’s ward of the same prison.

Twelve Prisoners Executed in Iran on Murder and Drug Charges

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Executions, News
Bukan, Dezful, Hamedan, HRANA, Sanandaj, Saveh, Yasuj

HRANA- Over the past two days, HRANA has reported the execution of 12 additional prisoners in various prisons across Iran. These prisoners had been sentenced to death on charges of murder or drug-related offenses.

Saturday, November 29
On this day, HRANA reported the executions of Alimorad Shahbazi in Aligudarz Prison, Mohammadkarim Moradi in Dizel Abad Prison in Kermanshah, Iman Mehrabi in Sanandaj Prison, Marvan Jaberi in Dezful Prison, and another prisoner identified only as (first name unknown) Ashtiani in Yasuj Prison. All of these prisoners had been sentenced to death on murder charges.

HRANA also reported that two additional prisoners convicted of murder were executed in Karaj Central Penitentiary; the identity of one of them, Arman Nairi, has been confirmed by HRANA.

Another prisoner, Abolfazl Foroukhi, was executed in Hamedan Prison on drug-related charges.

Sunday, November 30
According to HRANA, Ehsan Nadi was executed on drug-related charges in Arak Prison; Yashar Sadeghi on murder charges in Bukan Prison; Hossein Rashidian on murder charges in Saveh Prison; and Kazem Mo’tamedi on murder charges in Dezful Prison.

As of the time of this report, the executions have not been announced by prison officials or responsible authorities.

From the beginning of this year until the end of November, 2025, the Iranian regime has executed 1,594 people, marking an unprecedented increase compared to previous years.

HRANA’s Report on the Execution of 31 Prisoners in Recent Days

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Executions, News
ahvaz, Aligudarz, Arak, Bam, Bandar-Abbas, Behbahan, Bukan, Damghan, Dezful, Gorgan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Khorramabad, Mashhad, Nahavand, Qom, Sabzevar, Salmas, Sanandaj, Semnan, Taybad, Yasuj, zanjan

HRANA – In recent days, authorities in several prisons across Iran have carried out the execution of dozens of inmates on drug-related and murder charges. The pace of executions this year has been unprecedented compared to previous years.

HRANA has documented the following executions in recent days:

Tuesday, November 11

• Reza Geraei, on drug-related charges, in Behbahan Prison

• Yaqub Dachi, 28, on murder charges, in Ilam Prison

Wednesday, November 12

• Abbas Beigi, on murder charges, in Yasuj Prison

• Saber Fallah, 33, on murder charges stemming from a street altercation, in Qom Prison

Thursday, November 13

• Qomri Abbaszadeh, 29, and Iraj Aghaei, 30, on murder and drug-related charges respectively, in Sari Prison

Saturday, November 15

• Nour Mohammad Rahmati, on drug-related charges, in Aligudarz Prison

• Yar Morad Hassanvand, on murder charges, in Khorramabad Prison

• Two prisoners executed in Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah on murder charges; HRANA has confirmed the identity of one of them as Kamyar Fathi

•Jaber Saki and Jahan Rasouli, on murder and drug-related charges respectively, in Dezful Prison

Sunday, November 16

• Seyed Ali Hashemi of Karaj, on drug-related charges, in Salmas Prison

• (First name unknown) Yeganeh, on drug-related charges, in Bam Prison

• Habib Ezzati, on murder charges, in Sanandaj Prison

• Mohammad Amin Safari, on murder charges, in Bukan Prison

• Yasin Esfandiari, on drug-related charges, in Semnan Prison

• An unidentified prisoner, on murder charges, in Nahavand Prison

• Shokat Veisi (female), on drug-related charges, in Damghan Prison

• Amin Shokarkhodaei, on murder charges, in Arak Prison

• Mosib Khalavand, on drug-related charges, in Bandar Abbas Prison

Monday, November 17

• Reza Kamayi, on murder charges, in Sepidar Prison of Ahvaz

• Alireza Keshavarz, on murder charges, in Sabzevar Prison

• Amir Farkhnezhad, on drug-related charges, in Zanjan Prison

• Behzad Hasani, on murder charges, in Gorgan Prison

• Two prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges in Taybad Prison; HRANA has verified the identity of one of them as Javad Sattari

• Four prisoners were executed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on drug-related charges. HRANA has confirmed the identities of two of them as Shamseddin (surname unknown), an Afghan national, and Alimardan Barani.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and responsible institutions have not publicly announced these executions.

From the beginning of this year until the end of October, the Iranian regime has executed 1,286 people, marking an unprecedented increase compared to previous years.

Mohammadollah Rezaei Sentenced to Prison on Political Charges

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Freedom of Expression, News
Dehgolan, Mohammadollah Rezaei, Sanandaj

HRANA – Mohammadollah Rezaei, a resident of Dehgolan, has been sentenced by Branch 102 of the Dehgolan Criminal Court to one year in prison.

According to Kurdpa, the court sentenced Mr. Rezaei to one year in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

Mr. Rezaei was arrested on July 2, 2025, by security forces in Dehgolan. After 55 days in The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, he was released on bail of 800 million tomans.

He is a resident of Dehgolan and originally from Sanandaj.