Two Prisoners Executed in Lakan Prison, Rasht

HRANA– At dawn today, the death sentences of two prisoners who had previously been convicted in separate cases on charges related to drug offenses and murder were carried out in Lakan Prison, Rasht.

HRANA has identified the prisoners executed at dawn on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, as Farshad Hamegan, 52, a resident of Lavandevil, Astara, and Hossein Mokhtari.

According to information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Mokhtari had previously been arrested on charges related to drug offenses and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

Mr. Hamgan had earlier been arrested on charges of murder and sentenced to death by the Criminal Court.

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

Sunni Prisoner Hamzeh Darvish Continues Hunger Strike

HRANA – Hamzeh Darvish, a Sunni prisoner held in Lakan Prison, Rasht, remains on hunger strike. He began his strike on August 2 in protest against authorities’ neglect of his demands.

Three days ago, a source close to his family confirmed the news to HRANA, saying: “Mr. Darvish is currently on the fourteenth day of his hunger strike.”

This Sunni prisoner went on strike on Saturday, August 2, in protest against what he describes as his continued unjust imprisonment, psychological and physical torture, the violation of the principle of separation of crimes, and the authorities’ disregard of his previous requests. He has demanded transfer to the political prisoners’ ward in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj.

In December 2024, Darvish wrote a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, urging attention to his case. Following this action, he was held in solitary confinement with handcuffs and shackles for one month by order of Gilan’s Prosecutor, Mehdi Fallah Miri.

Hamzeh Darvish, a prisoner from Talesh, was previously sentenced to 14 years in prison, later reduced to 10 years and 6 months in August 2024 after he submitted to the court’s ruling. He had already served another long-term prison sentence before this case.

Additionally, following a prison altercation on October 9, 2022, and a complaint filed by the Prisons Organization, a new legal case was opened against him. On May 11, 2020, this Sunni prisoner was transferred from Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj to Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Darvish’s journey through adversity began in 2014 when he was deceived by ISIS forces into traveling to Turkey and later to Syria, as he claims. Following a period of confinement in an ISIS jail, he managed to escape and returned to Iran, where he surrendered himself to security forces.

Death Sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi Upheld by the Supreme Court

HRANA News Agency – Amir Raisian, attorney at law, announced that the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist held in Lakan Prison in Rasht, has been upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court.

Confirming the news, Mohammadi’s lawyer stated: “Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, which had previously overturned the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, this time—despite all persisting ambiguities and flaws in the case—upheld the ruling.”

According to Raisian, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court had earlier annulled the sentence due to numerous deficiencies, including the lack of evidence connecting her to armed operations, the failure to prove her membership in an organization classified under Baghi (armed rebellion) or a rebel group, as well as flaws in the intelligence agents’ report. The case had then been referred to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, but that court “treated the judicial officer’s report as conclusive evidence” and reissued the death sentence.

The lawyer stressed that the ruling of Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht merely repeated the earlier decision of Branch 1, without addressing the Supreme Court’s objections, relying solely on the intelligence report. Raisian added: “It was expected that the Supreme Court would once again overturn the ruling, but contrary to expectations, it did not.”

Reaffirming his client’s legal prospects, Raisian said: “We are still hopeful for retrial. We will continue to pursue a request for retrial and try to annul the death sentence of this prisoner through other legal avenues.” He expressed hope that given the numerous flaws in the case and the judicial process, the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi would be overturned and its enforcement stopped.

In late December of last year, the trial of Sharifeh Mohammadi’s charges was held in Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht. Prior to that, after the Supreme Court’s Branch 39 had overturned her death sentence, the case had been referred back to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht for retrial.

Mohammadi was sentenced to death on July 4, 2023, on charges of baghi (armed rebellion) due to her alleged membership in an opposition group. This sentence against the female labor activist triggered widespread public outcry.

Her trial, held on June 8, 2023, revolved around multiple charges, including propaganda against the regime, actions against national security, and baghi through her supposed affiliation with the group.

Mohammadi was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence at her home in Rasht on December 5, 2023. Later that month, she was transferred from Lakan Prison to Sanandaj Prison on December 30, only to be sent back to Lakan after some time.

A source close to her family told HRANA: “Sharifeh was a member of the Association of Labor Organizations until 2013, which has no ties to the Komala group. The charge of baghi is based on her alleged membership in this group, which is not true.”

Political Prisoner Yaghoub Derakhshan Sentenced to Death

HRANA– Yaghoub Derakhshan, a 50-year-old prisoner from Bandar Anzali, has been sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar. The sentence was formally delivered to him on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Sources familiar with the case told HRANA that during his first arrest in July 2024, Derakhshan was charged with “propaganda against the regime” and was released on bail after several weeks. However, during his second arrest, he was charged with the more serious offense of “armed rebellion (baghi).”

HRANA’s sources say the court proceedings were “unusually fast” and “lacked fair trial standards.” The trial was reportedly held via videoconference without the presence of his chosen defense lawyer, and his family was kept uninformed about the legal process.

These sources also reported that Derakhshan was subjected to intense physical and psychological pressure during interrogation, leading to coerced confessions which were later used as the primary basis for his death sentence.

A source close to the family stated: “The judicial process was neither transparent, nor fair, nor legal. Derakhshan was not given a chance to defend himself, and we were kept in the dark about the case.”

Lakan Prison, where Derakhshan is currently held, has been repeatedly criticized by human rights organizations for housing political prisoners alongside inmates convicted of violent crimes, its lack of access to medical services, and unsanitary conditions.

Due to a lack of transparency from the judiciary, specific details of Mr. Derakhshan’s charges remain unknown.

HRANA’s investigations also show that Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar, who presided over this court, has issued similar sentences for political prisoners in Gilan over the past year, including for Manouchehr Fallah, Peyman Farah-Avar and Sharifeh Mohammadi.

Currently, based on data collected by HRANA, at least 56 prisoners in Iran face the death penalty on political and security-related charges.

Execution of Three Prisoners in Lakan Prison, Rasht

HRANA– On Wednesday, July 16, three prisoners were executed in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

HRANA had previously reported the execution of Peyman Afshar, approximately 43 years old, on murder charges. Iran Human Rights later identified the other two executed individuals as Hadi Gerousi, 28, and Mehdi Babaei, 31.

According to the report, Gerousi and Babaei were arrested five years ago in a joint case on charges of murder stemming from an honor-related dispute. Both were later sentenced to death by a criminal court.

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

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Prisoner Executed in Lakan Prison, Rasht

HRANA– On Wednesday, July 16, the execution of a prisoner previously sentenced to death for murder was carried out in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

HRANA has identified the prisoner hanged at dawn on Wednesday as Peyman Afshar, approximately 43 years old. According to information received by HRANA, Mr. Afshar had been arrested on murder charges and later sentenced to death by the criminal court.

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

A Prisoner Executed in Lakan Prison, Rasht

HRANA News Agency – On Wednesday, May 7, the death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted on drug-related charges was carried out in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

Hircani News Outlet has identified the hanged prisoner as Jafar Pour-Asadi, 45 years old, a father of five, and a resident of Ramhormoz.

According to the report, Mr. Pour-Asadi had been arrested two years ago on drug-related charges and was sentenced to death by a judicial authority.

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

In 2024, Iranian prisons witnessed the execution of 930 inmates. According to HRANA’s data, the number of executions carried out by the Iranian regime’s judiciary has risen steadily over the past five years. The percentage of executions related to drug charges has also increased year after year.

Rasht Revolutionary Court Sentences Poet Peyman Farah-Avar to Death

HRANA News Agency – Peyman (Amin) Farah-Avar (Farahavar), a poet from Gilan currently held in Lakan Prison in Rasht, has been sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, the sentence was issued by Judge Ahmad Darvish Goftar and is based on charges of “baghi” (armed rebellion against the state) and “moharebeh” (enmity against God).

A source close to Farahavar’s family confirmed the ruling and told HRANA: “The charges are based on his poetry and protest-related activities focused on social justice and civil rights. His trial was held behind closed doors, without access to a chosen lawyer, and the verdict was issued without due process or transparency.”

The court session took place on May 1, 2025, at the mentioned branch. Specific evidence cited in the charges has not been made public.

Farah-Avar was arrested by security forces in September 2024 and taken to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility. He was later transferred to Lakan Prison following the interrogation phase.

A father of a 10-year-old boy, Peyman (Amin) Farah-Avar has previously been detained for his activism.

Prisoner Executed on Drug Charges in Lakan Prison, Rasht

HRANA News Agency – The death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted on drug-related charges was carried out on Tuesday, February 25, at Lakan Prison in Rasht.

The identity of the executed prisoner has been confirmed by HRANA as Faramarz Keyfari, a resident of Kermanshah Province’s Kangavar city. Based on information obtained by HRANA, Mr. Keyfari had been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

As of this report, prison authorities and official bodies have not publicly announced the execution.

According to data compiled by HRANA, 52.69% of all executions in Iran in 2024 were related to drug-related charges. Notably, only 6% of the executions were officially announced, highlighting a significant lack of transparency. For a detailed analysis of these executions and the associated statistics, see HRANA’s full report.

Hamideh Zeraei Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison and 178 Lashes

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.