Four Prisoners Executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj

The death sentences of four prisoners, convicted on charges related to drug offenses and murder, were carried out yesterday in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the executions took place at dawn on Saturday, November 30, 2024. Among the executed was Amir Moradi, who had been arrested on drug-related charges and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. The other three prisoners had been convicted and sentenced to death for murder.

HRANA is working to verify additional details, including the identities of the three prisoners convicted of murder.

As of this writing, neither prison authorities nor relevant institutions have officially announced the executions.

According to data gathered by the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj witnessed the highest number of executions in 2023, with Zahedan Prison following closely behind. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Amir Moradi
Amir Moradi

Three Prisoners Executed in Yazd Prison

According to Haal Vsh, three prisoners were executed at Yazd Prison at dawn on Thursday, November 28, 2024.

The report states that Davood Mohammadi Takht-Shah (Dahmardeh) and Othman Dahmardeh, previously sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Yazd Revolutionary Court were executed. The third prisoner has been identified as Esmail Barakzaie, approximately 18 years old and an Afghan national residing in Yazd. He was arrested for murder in Meybod, Yazd, and subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

Haal Vsh also reported that Esmail Barakzaie was about 17 years old at the time of the murder.

As of this report’s publication, the execution of these three prisoners has not been officially announced by prison authorities or responsible 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.

Six Death Sentences and Over 54 Years of Imprisonment Issued for Eight Political Prisoners in Tehran

Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court has sentenced six political prisoners—Akbar Daneshvar Kar, Seyed Mohammad Taghavi Sang-Dehi, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi Bistoni, Vahid Bani-Amerian, and Seyed Abolhassan Montazer—to death on charges of armed rebellion (Baghi) through membership in anti-regime groups. Additionally, these individuals, along with Seyed Ali Taghavi Sang-Dehi and Seyed Mojtaba Taghavi Sang-Dehi, were collectively sentenced to over 54 years of imprisonment and 20 years of exile.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 issued severe sentences for these eight political prisoners.

Details of the Sentences:

  1. Akbar Daneshvar Kar
    • Death sentence for Baghi through membership in anti-regime groups.
    • 5 years in prison for assembly and collusion with intent to disrupt national security.
    • 10 years in prison for forming illegal groups.
  2. Seyed Mohammad Taghavi Sang-Dehi
    • Death sentence for Baghi.
    • 5 years in prison for assembly and collusion.
    • 10 years in prison for forming illegal groups.
  3. Babak Alipour
    • Death sentence for Baghi.
    • 5 years in prison for assembly and collusion.
    • 20 years of exile to the city of Khash for destruction of public property.
  4. Pouya Ghobadi Bistoni
    • Death sentence for Baghi.
    • 1 year in prison for illegal border crossing.
  5. Vahid Bani-Amerian
    • Death sentence for Baghi.
    • 5 years in prison for assembly and collusion.
  6. Seyed Abolhassan Montazer
    • Death sentence for Baghi.
    • 5 years in prison for collusion with intent to disrupt national security.
  7. Seyed Ali Taghavi Sang-Dehi
    • 2 years in prison for membership in anti-regime groups.
  8. Seyed Mojtaba Taghavi Sang-Dehi
    • 3 years and 7 months in prison for assembly and collusion with intent to disrupt national security.
    • 3 years in prison for membership in groups opposing the regime.

 

The court sessions for these individuals, who share a common legal case, were held in mid-October this year.

Vahid Bani-Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer were arrested in December 2023, while Babak Alipour was detained in the fall of 2023 by security forces in Tehran.

On February 23, 2024, Pouya Ghobadi and Seyed Mohammad Taghavi were arrested in Chaldoran County and transferred to Maku Prison, seven days later, being moved to Evin Prison.

Akbar Daneshvar and Mojtaba Taghavi had previously been detained and transferred to Evin Prison. Ali Taghavi had also been arrested earlier but was released on bail.

These individuals were formally charged in late May 2024 at Branch 5 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran.

Notably, Abolhassan Montazer and Seyed Mohammad Taghavi were political prisoners in the 1980s, while Vahid Bani-Amerian, Pouya Ghobadi, and Babak Alipour have prior records of imprisonment for their activism.

Prisoner Executed in Arak Prison for Murder Charges

At dawn on Thursday, November 28, 2024, a prisoner sentenced to death for murder was executed in Arak Prison.

HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, has confirmed the identity of the executed individual as Kamran Hemmati. He was arrested on murder charges and later sentenced to death by a criminal court.

Despite the execution, neither prison officials nor responsible institutions have made any public announcement regarding the case at the time of this report.

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 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.

Kamran Hemmati
 

Prisoner Executed in Qazvin Prison

At dawn today, November 28, a prisoner previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges was executed in Qazvin Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the prisoner has been identified as Mohammad-Ali Taheri, 46, from Kangavar.

Taheri had been arrested on drug-related charges and subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

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

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

 

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Three Prisoners Executed in Qom, Rasht, and Shahrekord

Three prisoners previously sentenced to death for drug-related charges and murder were executed in the prisons of Qom, Lakan Rasht, and Shahrekord.

According to HRANA, on Wednesday, November 20, Ali Torkashvand, 54, from Sahneh, Kermanshah, was hanged in Lakan Prison, Rasht. He had been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

According to Iran Human Rights Organization, another prisoner, Seyed Davood Rajabi, 30, was executed in Qom Prison at dawn on Wednesday, November 27. Rajabi had been in detention for four years on murder charges and was subsequently sentenced to death.

Additionally, at dawn on Thursday, November 21, the execution of a prisoner identified as Majid Jafari, 38, was carried out in Shahrekord Prison. Jafari had been arrested three and a half years ago for drug trafficking near Shahrekord and later sentenced to death.

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

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.

Four Prisoners Executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Including a Juvenile Offender

Early this morning, November 27, four prisoners previously convicted of murder were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. One of them, Reza Shirzahi, was only 17 years old at the time of the crime in 2020.

The identities of two of the executed prisoners have been confirmed as Reza Shirzahi, a resident of Pakdasht originally from Zabol, and Hamed Pakdel.

Reza Shirzahi, aged around 21, was accused of killing a friend during an altercation in 2020. He was arrested that same year, tried in a criminal court, and sentenced to death—a verdict later upheld by the Supreme Court. At the time of his arrest, He was only 17 years old. After spending time in Khorin Prison, he was transferred first to Rajai Shahr Prison and then to Ghezel Hesar Prison, where the execution was carried out. The published photo in this report is of Reza.

The identities of the other two executed prisoners remain unknown, and HRANA is continuing its investigation to confirm their details.

It is worth noting that as of the time of this report, prison authorities and responsible institutions have not officially announced the executions.

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 for Drug-Related Charges in Gorgan Prison

On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, a prisoner who had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges was executed in Gorgan Prison.

The identity of the executed prisoner has been confirmed by HRANA as Farhad Khosrawi Sadkharv, a resident of Sabzevar.

Based on HRANA’s findings, Mr. Khosrawi had been arrested on drug-related charges and subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

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

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 Karaj Central Prison for Drug-Related Offenses

On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, a prisoner previously sentenced to death for drug-related offenses was executed in Karaj Central Prison.

The prisoner has been identified by HRANA as Ehsan Basati Valiabad, a 31-year-old resident of Kuhdasht. HRANA has also reported that three other death-row inmates were executed in the same prison on the previous day.

According to HRANA’s findings, Mr. Basati was arrested in 2020 in Karaj on charges related to drug offenses and was subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. On Sunday, November 24, he was moved to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution.

As of this report, the execution has not been publicly announced by prison officials or other responsible authorities.
The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Three Prisoners Executed on Drug Charges in Karaj Central Prison

At dawn on Monday, November 25, 2024, three prisoners convicted on drug-related charges were executed in Karaj Central Prison.

The identities of the executed individuals have been confirmed as Ashkan Moradi, Jalal Haj Babayi, and Davood Heidari. All three had been arrested on charges related to drug offenses and subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

Two days prior to the executions, on Saturday, November 23, the prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their sentences to be carried out.

Notably, another prisoner, Ehsan Basati, who was also on death row for similar charges, had his execution postponed and was returned to the prison’s general ward.

As of the time of publication, neither prison officials nor relevant authorities have officially announced these executions.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.