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.

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.

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Judicial Case Filed Against Women’s Wrestling Medalist Masoumeh Soleimani

HRANA News Agency – A judicial case has been opened against Masoumeh Soleimani, a world medalist in women’s wrestling. She has been summoned to the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Khorramabad in connection with the case.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Soleimani announced in a video that she was recently summoned on charges of “encouraging women to defy mandatory hijab laws.”

In August 2023, she had been sentenced by the Khorramabad Criminal Court to one year of imprisonment on the charge of “inciting violent acts on social media.”

In a separate case, she was sentenced to six months of discretionary imprisonment and six months of suspended imprisonment. Following an appeal, the sentence was reduced to a fine of 50 million tomans and six months of suspended imprisonment.

Soleimani was previously arrested on May 10, 2023, by security forces in Khorramabad and released on bail for days later. She had been held in the IRGC Intelligence Detention Facility.

Masoumeh Soleimani, a mother and world medalist in women’s wrestling, has a history of arrest due to her activism.

16 Days Without News: Javad Mobarra Still Held Incommunicado in Tehran

HRANA News Agency – Javad Mobarra, a 25-year-old resident of Tehran, has been held incommunicado for 16 days following his arrest by security forces. His current whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Mobarra was arrested on Monday, May 5, in front of his home by plainclothes agents. An eyewitness reported: “Mr. Mobarra was standing outside his residence in casual clothing when a black car stopped in front of him. Two individuals in plainclothes exited the vehicle and took him into custody.”

Since his arrest, no official information has been released regarding his place of detention or legal status. The prolonged lack of communication has caused growing concern among his family members.

The reasons for Mobarra’s arrest and any charges against him have not been disclosed.

Sources told HRANA that late last year, Mobarra had been summoned and questioned by security agencies in connection with content he had posted on social media.

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:
“Every prisoner shall have the right, and shall be given the ability and means, to inform immediately his or her family, or any other person designated as a contact person, about his or her imprisonment, about his or her transfer to another institution and about any serious illness or injury. The sharing of prisoners’ personal information shall be subject to domestic legislation.”

Prisoner Executed in Shiraz on Drug-Related Charges

HRANA News Agency – Yesterday, May 20, a prisoner who had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges was executed in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.

The identity of the prisoner has been confirmed by HRANA as Alireza Zarei.
According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Zarei had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and was later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

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

Kourosh Nadimi Arrested by Security Forces in Kamyaran

HRANA News Agency – On Sunday, May 18, Kourosh Nadimi, a resident of Kamyaran, was arrested by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.

His identity has been confirmed by Kolbar News as Kourosh Nadimi, 40 years old, from the village of Misurab in Kamyaran County.

According to the report, Mr. Nadimi was arrested by security forces on Sunday, May 17, 2025.

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

Appeals Court Upholds Prison Sentence and Ban on Legal Practice for Behnam Nezadi

HRANA News Agency – Branch 8 of the Markazi Province Court of Appeals fully upheld the conviction of attorney Behnam Nezadi, who was sentenced to four months in prison and a one-year ban from practicing law. The Supreme Court had referred the case to this equivalent branch for reconsideration after accepting his request for retrial.

In a ruling issued on May 16, 2025, Branch 8 of the Markazi Province Court of Appeals reaffirmed the previous sentence: four months of imprisonment and a one-year ban from the legal profession. The case had initially been returned for review by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court following a request for retrial, and was referred to this equivalent branch.

Mr. Nezadi was released from Evin Prison on April 15, 2025. He had been arrested on March 1, 2025, to serve his sentence.

This member of the Central Bar Association had previously been sentenced on January 2025, by Branch 9 of the Markazi Province Court of Appeals to four months in prison and a one-year ban from practicing law, following a retrial request submitted by his lawyers. Earlier, in late November 2024, he had been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court of Arak to one year in prison and a two-year ban from practicing law on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.”

In another part of his case, Branch 106 of the Arak Criminal Court sentenced Behnam Nezadi to 13 months and 16 days in prison for “disclosing confidential information,” and to 113 days in prison for “spreading falsehoods.”