Christian Converts Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison by Tabriz Revolutionary Court

HRANA News Agency – The Tabriz Revolutionary Court has sentenced Christian converts Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia to a total of 24 years in prison, over two billion tomans in fines, and 30 years of deprivation of social rights.

Judge Hassan Fath-Nejad of Branch 3 issued the verdict in absentia on April 16, 2025, without summoning the defendants or allowing them to present a defense. The court sentenced both Rahimi, 49, and Nourinia, 56, to 12 years in prison each. As additional punishments, the court imposed fines of one billion tomans on each and banned them from social rights for 15 years.

The court attributed 10 years of each sentence to the charge of “promoting deviant beliefs of Zionist Christianity in opposition to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and the remaining two years to “smuggling prohibited goods,” referring to Christian religious books. Authorities also ordered them to pay a fine equivalent to ten times the value of the seized materials.

On November 3, 2024, agents from The Ministry of Intelligence raided Rahimi’s home in Tabriz, seizing roughly 5,000 Christian books and pamphlets, along with two computer hard drives. That same day, intelligence agents also searched Nourinia’s residence, confiscating two mobile phones, a tablet, and Christian literature.

Rahimi and Nourinia are both Christian converts residing in Tabriz.

Five Prisoners Executed in Yazd Prison

HRANA News Agency – On Wednesday, May 21, the death sentences of five prisoners previously convicted on charges related to drug offenses and murder were carried out in Yazd Prison.

Their identities have been confirmed by HRANA as: Nourweis Achkizahi from Zabol, Javad Rezaei, Reza Beigi, Vali Shahrbabaki, and Mohammadreza Dehghan Dehnouri, 38 years old.

Based on information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Achkizehi had been arrested six years ago and Mr. Beigi at an earlier date, both on drug-related charges, and were sentenced to death. Mr. Rezaei and Mr. Shahrbabaki had been detained five years ago, and Mr. Dehghan Dehnouri earlier, all on murder charges in separate cases, and were also sentenced to death.

As of the time of this report, the execution of these individuals has 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.

Prisoner Executed in Ilam Prison

HRANA News Agency – On Saturday, May 17, the death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted of murder was carried out in Ilam Prison.

HRANA has identified the individual executed at dawn on Saturday, May 17, as Adnan Labakpour, a resident of Ilam.

Based on information received by HRANA, Mr. Labakpour had been arrested on murder charges and later sentenced to death by a criminal court.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially confirmed 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.

Prisoner Executed in Central Prison of Karaj

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Sunday, May 18, the execution of a prisoner previously sentenced to death on a murder charge was carried out at Central Prison of Karaj.

HRANA has identified the prisoner as Armin Bahrami. According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Bahrami had been previously arrested on a murder charge and was later sentenced to death by the judiciary.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially announced by prison authorities or responsible institutions.

In 2024, a total of 191 inmates were executed in Alborz province alone — equivalent to 7 executions per 100,000 people in this small province.

Farid Rafeh Arrested in Rask

HRANA News Agency – On Tuesday, May 20, Farid Rafeh, a resident of Rask, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to HRANA, citing Rasank News, a citizen was detained in the city of Rask.

The individual has been identified as Farid Rafeh, 26 years old, and a native of Rask.

According to the report, Mr. Rafeh was arrested with the use of force by security forces on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. He was detained without a judicial warrant while visiting the city’s marketplace for personal errands.

As of now, no information is available regarding the charges against him or his whereabouts.

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Abdolghafour Azizi Arrested by Security Forces in Chabahar

HRANA News Agency – On Wednesday, May 21, Abdolghafour Azizi, a resident of Chabahar, was arrested by security forces in the city and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to Haal Vsh, the individual has been identified as Abdolghafour Azizi, approximately 65 years old, a retired employee of the Water and Wastewater Department, originally from Qasr-e Qand and currently residing in Chabahar.

According to the report, Mr. Azizi was arrested at his private residence without a judicial warrant. Following his arrest by security forces, he was transferred to an unknown location.

As of now, no information is available regarding the reasons for his arrest, his whereabouts, or the charges against him.

Arbitrary arrests, transferring detainees to undisclosed locations, and leaving families in the dark about the fate of their loved ones are routine practices of the Iranian regime’s security agencies, such as the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Unit. This pattern of behavior stands in clear violation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules.

Death Sentence Carried Out for Prisoner in Hamedan Prison

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Wednesday, May 21, a prisoner who had previously been sentenced to death on a murder charge was executed in Hamedan Prison.

The identity of the executed prisoner has been confirmed by HRANA as Saeed Kashani.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Kashani had been arrested on a murder charge and later sentenced to death by the Criminal Court.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially confirmed by prison officials or relevant authorities.

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.

Execution of a Prisoner in Qom Prison

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Tuesday, May 20, a prisoner previously sentenced to death on a murder charge was executed in Qom Prison.

The identity of the prisoner has been confirmed by HRANA as Meysam Khazaei.

According to information received by HRANA, Mr. Khazaei had been arrested on a murder charge and later sentenced to death by the judicial authorities.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially announced by prison officials or relevant institutions.

According to HRANA reports, in 2024, only 6% of executions were announced by official bodies or domestic media outlets. Over the past five years, 77% of executions have gone unreported—commonly referred to as secret executions. In some of these cases, the lack of transparency is so severe that the death-row prisoners are denied even the chance for a final visit with their families.

Two Prisoners Executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Wednesday, May 21, two prisoners previously sentenced to death on charges related to drug trafficking and murder were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

HRANA has identified the executed individuals as Halim Brahouei (Brahui), 67, originally from Zahedan and residing in Karaj, and Jahanshah Afshari.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Brahouei had been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court for transporting 145 kilograms of narcotics into Tehran. Mr. Afshari had received a death sentence in connection with a murder charge.

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

According to HRANA’s statistics, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj carried out the highest number of executions among all Iranian prisons, with 150 inmates hanged. This figure has nearly doubled compared to the previous year — a deeply alarming increase that underscores the escalating use of capital punishment in Iran.

Prisoner Executed in Borazjan Prison on Murder Charges

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Saturday, May 17, the execution of a prisoner previously sentenced to death on murder charges was carried out in Borazjan Prison, Bushehr province.

HRANA has identified the individual as Ahmad Bani-Asad, who was hanged at dawn on Saturday, May 17. According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Bani-Asad had been arrested on charges of murder and later sentenced to death by a criminal court.

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

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.