Tag: Karaj

Number of Executions in Ghezel Hesar Prison Rises to Four

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Executions, News
Asghar Vatanparast, Ghezel Hesar, HRANA, Karaj, Mohsen Langarneshin

HRANA News Agency – Today, April 30, alongside the execution of Mohsen Langarneshin, a political prisoner, in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, three other inmates previously sentenced to death on drug-related and murder charges were also executed.

In addition to the execution of Mohsen Langarneshin—who had been convicted of espionage and collaboration with hostile governments—three other inmates were also put to death. HRANA has confirmed the identity of one of them as Asghar Vatanparast, sentenced to death for drug-related offenses. The two others were executed on murder charges, though their identities have not yet been confirmed.

Further details, including the identities of the two other individuals executed, are still under investigation by HRANA.

Earlier, HRANA had reported the transfer of 11 inmates to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.

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

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 2024. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Ghezel Hesar Prison: 11 Prisoners Await Execution in Solitary Confinement

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Executions, News
Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Karaj

HRANA News Agency – Yesterday, April 28, four prisoners at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, who had previously been sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses and murder, were transferred to solitary confinement for the implementation of their sentences. With the addition of these individuals, the number of prisoners transferred to solitary confinement for execution in this prison over the past four days has risen to 11.

According to information received by HRANA, one of these prisoners had been sentenced to death for murder, while three others were sentenced for drug-related offenses. In total, four of the eleven prisoners, including two Afghan nationals, had been sentenced to death for murder, while the remaining seven had received death sentences for drug-related charges.

Further details, including the identities of these prisoners, are currently being investigated by HRANA.

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 2024. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Over Three Months in Prison: Ongoing Legal Uncertainty for Atefeh Hassani

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News, Prisoners
Atefeh Hassani, HRANA, Kachouei Prison, Karaj, Mohammad Hassani

HRANA News Agency – Atefeh Hassani, the sister of political prisoner Mohammad Hassani, has spent more than three months in a state of legal uncertainty at Kachouei Prison in Karaj, with no formal charges yet addressed in court.

A source familiar with her case told HRANA, “It has been over 110 days since Ms. Hassani was arrested. She is accused of membership in anti-regime groups, but her legal case remains unresolved and no court hearings have been scheduled.”

Ms. Hassani was arrested by security forces in January 2025 at her family’s home in Karaj. Following a period of interrogation at a security detention facility in the city, she was transferred to Kachouei Prison, where she remains in custody without due process.

Atefeh Hassani is the sister of Mohammad Hassani, a political prisoner currently held in the Central Prison of Karaj.

At Least Five Prisoners Executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj

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Executions, News
Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Karaj

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, the death sentences of at least five prisoners previously convicted on drug-related charges were carried out in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the identities of the executed individuals have been confirmed as Salahuddin Amoudi, Mahmoud-Ali Naseri, Akbar Mousavi, Amanollah Barahouei, Abdollah Pashtooi.

Based on information received by HRANA, Pashtooi was convicted of Moharebeh (enmity against God) through armed robbery, while the remaining prisoners had been arrested in separate cases on drug-related charges and were later sentenced to death by the judiciary.

Earlier, HRANA had reported the transfer of 10 prisoners to solitary confinement in this prison in preparation for execution.

As of the time of this report, prison officials and responsible institutions have not publicly announced these 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 2024. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Seven on Death Row Moved to Solitary in Ghezel Hesar Prison

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Executions, News
Ghezel Hesar prison, Karaj

HRANA News Agency – Yesterday, April 14, seven prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj who had previously been sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses and other non-political crimes were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for the implementation of their sentences.

The transfer, which took place today, Monday, April 14, 2025, was for the purpose of carrying out their death sentences. Four of these individuals had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and were subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. The remaining prisoners were sentenced to death for other non-political crimes.

HRANA is investigating further details, including the identities of the prisoners.

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 2024. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

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Report on the Execution of Two Prisoners in Qom and Shahrud Prisons

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Executions, News
Gholamreza Pardakhteh, Habib Aghaei, Karaj, Moein Ashrafi, Qom prison, Shahrud Prison

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, the death sentence of a prisoner convicted of drug-related offenses was carried out in Qom Prison, according to Iran Human Rights. In a separate case, with the execution of another prisoner in Shahrud Prison, the total number of executions in that facility on Wednesday rose to two.

The individual, identified as Habib Aghaei, a 32-year-old from Karaj, was hanged at dawn on April 9, 2025. He had been arrested two years ago on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the judiciary.

Meanwhile, the number of executions in Shahrud Prison that day rose to two.

The second executed prisoner was identified as Moein Ashrafi, a 32-year-old resident of a village in Bastam. He was arrested five years ago on charges of murder during a group altercation and later sentenced to death. Despite his family’s offer to pay 3 billion tomans in blood money, the plaintiffs declined to grant their consent for a pardon.

HRANA had previously reported the execution of another prisoner, Gholamreza Pardakhteh (Gorgij), in Shahrud Prison on the same day.

As of the time of this report, these executions have not been officially confirmed by prison authorities or other responsible institutions.

At Least Four Prisoners Executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj

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Executions, News
Abolfazl Karimi, Bahram Hodavand-Khani, Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Karaj, Salar Amir Jalali

HRANA News Agency – At dawn yesterday, April 9, 2025, at least four prisoners previously sentenced to death on separate murder charges were executed by hanging in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

The identities of three of them have been confirmed by HRANA as: Bahram Hodavand-Khani, a resident of Varamin; Salar Amir Jalali, a resident of Tehran; and Abolfazl Karimi, a resident of Karaj.

Based on information received by HRANA, the inmates had been arrested in separate cases on murder charges and later sentenced to death by the criminal court. Among them, Bahram had been on death row for 16 years.

On April 8, HRANA had reported the transfer of 10 inmates to solitary confinement in preparation for the execution of their death sentences. Three of them, who were sentenced to death for drug-related offenses, were returned to the ward after their executions were halted.

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

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 2024. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Christian Convert Parvin Ghadiani Held in Legal Limbo for Three Months

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News, Prisoners, Religious Minorities
HRANA, Kachooie Prison, Kachouei Prison, Karaj, Parvin Ghadiani, Parvin Ghadyani

HRANA News Agency – Parvin Ghadiani, a Christian convert, has been in custody for approximately three months after being arrested by security forces. She is currently being held in a state of uncertainty in Kachouei Prison in Karaj.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, Ghadiani remains in detention.

HRANA has learned that she was arrested by security forces in January of last year. Following her interrogation at one of Karaj’s security detention centers, she was transferred to Kachouei Prison.

A source familiar with Ghadiani’s situation confirmed to HRANA: “The reason for her arrest has been cited as proselytizing Christianity.”

Notably, while Christianity is officially recognized as a minority religion in Iran, security agencies view the conversion of Muslims to Christianity as a highly sensitive matter and respond with severe crackdowns on those involved in religious activism.

The persecution of Christian converts in Iran persists despite Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirm every individual’s right to freedom of religion, including the right to change their faith and to practice it openly or privately, alone or in community with others.

Ten Prisoners Transferred to Solitary Confinement for Execution in Ghezel Hesar Prison

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Executions, News
Ghezel Hesar prison, HRANA, Karaj

HRANA News Agency – On April 7, seven more prisoners sentenced to death on murder charges were transferred to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj in preparation for the implementation of their sentences. Including the three prisoners who had previously been moved, the total number of individuals transferred for execution in the prison has now reached ten.

These prisoners had been sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses and murder, and their transfer was carried out for the purpose of enforcing the sentences.

Further details, including the identities of the prisoners, are currently under investigation by HRANA.

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 2024. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Hamideh Zeraei Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison and 178 Lashes

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Freedom of Expression, News
Asif Al-Hosseini, Hamideh Zeraei, Kachooei Prison, Karaj, Lakan prison, Rasht, حمیده زراعی

HRANA News Agency – Hamideh Zeraei, a former political prisoner, has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison and 178 lashes by Branch 104 of the Rasht Criminal Court, according to the Hyrcani news outlet.

The court, presided over by Judge Majid Shadpour, issued the verdict against Zeraei for refusing to comply with compulsory hijab regulations during a court appearance. She was sentenced to nine months in prison and 74 lashes on charges of “disturbing public order” and an additional nine months in prison for “defying law enforcement officers.” Furthermore, she received 74 lashes for “insulting an officer on duty” and 30 lashes for “causing minor physical harm.”

Zeraei was arrested in connection with this case on February 4, 2025, and released approximately one month later on bail from Lakan Prison in Rasht.

In a previous case, on November 16, 2023, the Revolutionary Court of Karaj—presided over by Judge Mousa Asif Al-Hosseini—had sentenced Zeraei to one year in prison, two years of exile to Rasht, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year ban on social media use. After accepting the verdict, her prison sentence was later reduced to nine months.

Zeraei was first arrested by security forces on May 29, 2023, at her home and transferred to Kachooei Prison in Karaj. She was released on February 22, 2024, after serving her sentence.

Previously, Hamideh (Shimin) Zeraei had also been arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests. She was released on February 7, 2023, from Kachooei Prison in Karaj following a general “pardon” directive.