HRANA – The death sentences of two prisoners who had been convicted of murder in a joint case were carried out at Semnan Prison on June 16.
According to HRANA, citing the Iran Human Rights Organization, the executions were carried out in the early hours of Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at Semnan Prison. The prisoners have been identified as Hossein Vahidpour, 24, and Farshad Pahlavani, 26, both residents of Semnan.
According to the report, Vahidpour and Pahlavani worked at a poultry farm owned by Farshad’s father. Four years and nine months ago, they were arrested on charges of murdering their friend, Alireza, at the same poultry farm. They were subsequently sentenced to death in a joint case.
The report quotes an informed source as saying that the killing was motivated by so-called “honor” concerns, based on the suspicion that the victim had been harassing Hossein’s sister. However, the two men later realized that Alireza had had no relationship with her and that they had been mistaken. The families of the two prisoners reportedly offered the victim’s family 35 billion tomans in an effort to obtain their forgiveness, but the victim’s relatives refused to pardon them and insisted on the implementation of the death sentences.
As of the time of writing, the executions have not been announced by Iranian state media or official sources.
According to HRA’s Annual Report, in 2025 at least 2,063 citizens, including 61 women and 2 juvenile offenders, were executed. Of these, the sentences of 11 individuals were carried out in public. During the same period, 172 other individuals were sentenced to death.
