Tag: Mashhad

Six Executed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad

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Executions, News
Abdolghaffar Barahouei, Abdolsamad Gorgij, HRANA, Javid Galleh-Bacheh, Mashhad, Mehdi Azizi, Parviz Dastkaleh, Vakilabad

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Wednesday, April 30, six inmates were executed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

HRANA has confirmed the identities of two of the executed individuals as Mehdi Azizi, a resident of Mashhad, and Javid Galleh-Bacheh.

The Baloch-focused outlet Hasl Vsh has identified three others as, Abdolghaffar Barahouei (Lajei), approximately 47 years old and father of nine, Parviz Dastkaleh (Nouraldin Lajei), around 40 years old and father of three, and Abdolsamad Gorgij (Rigi), 39 years old, father of five, and a resident of Zahedan.

All six prisoners had previously been sentenced to death by Revolutionary Courts on drug-related charges.

Details about the sixth executed prisoner, including their identity, are still being investigated by HRANA.

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

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.

Teachers’ Union Activist Mansoureh Erfanian Sentenced to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Mansoureh Erfanian, Mashhad, Vakilabad prison

HRANA News Agency – Mansoureh Erfanian, a teachers’ union activist, has been sentenced to three months in prison by Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court.

The verdict, issued by Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, was officially communicated to Ms. Erfanian on Tuesday, April 21, 2025. She was sentenced to three months in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime” through the publication of content on social media. According to the ruling, she was acquitted of the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security.”

Ms. Erfanian was previously arrested by security forces in October 2023 and released a week later from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad after posting bail.

Mansoureh Erfanian, a teachers’ union activist based in Mashhad, has a prior record of arrest due to her activism.

Over 5 Executions Per Day on Average: 26 Prisoners Executed Across Iran Since Start of the Week

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Executions, News
ahvaz, Aligudarz, Bukan, Dezful, Esmail Dahmardeh, Ghezel Hesar, Gonabad, HRANA, Mashhad, Qom prison, Shahram Goodarzi, Shahrud, Shiraz, Taher Shabani, Vakilabad

HRANA News Agency – Since the beginning of this week, Iranian prisons have witnessed a significant surge in executions. Over the past five days, at least 26 prisoners—mostly convicted of murder and drug-related offenses—have been executed across various prisons in Iran. Among them were five prisoners executed on political-security charges.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, executions in Iranian prisons have sharply increased in recent days.

Since the start of the week, at least 26 prisoners have been executed in Ghezel Hesar (Karaj), Shiraz, Kermanshah, Gonabad, Shahrud, Vakilabad (Mashhad), Aligudarz, Bukan, Dezful, Qom, Zanjan, and Sepidar (Ahvaz) prisons. This averages over five executions per day. Vakilabad Prison alone accounted for at least 10 executions in a single day, the highest recorded among these facilities.

On Wednesday, April 9, four prisoners—Bahram Hodavand-Khani, Salar Amir Jalali, Abolfazl Karimi, and another unidentified individual—were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison for separate murder cases. Also on Wednesday, Esmail Dahmardeh, convicted on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court of Gonabad, was executed in Gonabad Prison. Gholamreza Pardakhteh faced a similar fate in Shahroud Prison. Another prisoner, Kambiz Fathi, was hanged in Kermanshah Prison for murder. Two more prisoners, Vahid Ashouri (30) and Afghan national Saud Mirzaei, were executed in Shiraz Prison, both convicted of murder.

On Tuesday, April 8, at least 10 prisoners—including three women—were executed in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad. Five of them—Farhad Shakeri, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij, Abdolrahman Gorgij, Taj Mohammad Khormali, and Malek Ali Fadaie Nasab—were executed on political-security charges. Four others, including two women, were executed on drug-related charges. HRANA identified two of them as Ahmad Sanaie and Mohammadreza Damideh. Additionally, one woman convicted of murder was also executed at the same facility.

On Monday, April 7, Shahram Goodarzi (36) and Taher Shabani (35) were executed in Aligudarz Prison in separate murder cases. That same day, Seyed Taha Hassani, a prisoner from Bukan, was executed in Bukan Prison, and Hamid Abdouli was hanged in Dezful Prison—both convicted of murder.

On Sunday, April 6, a prisoner named Samir Ghasemi was executed in Qom Prison. He had been sentenced to death by the criminal court for murder.

On Saturday, April 5, Hossein Molazadeh (29), convicted on drug charges, was executed in Zanjan Prison. Simultaneously, Zahir Shamsi (32), a father of a five-year-old girl from Dezful, was executed in Sepidar Prison, Ahvaz. Shamsi had been arrested four years ago for the alleged murder of his cousin.

This recent escalation in executions has sparked serious concerns over widespread violations of the right to life in Iran. Human rights organizations consider Iran’s extensive use of the death penalty to be in stark violation of its international obligations and have called for an immediate moratorium on capital punishment.

Lawyer Javad Alikordi Arrested by Mashhad’s Ministry of Intelligence Forces

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Freedom of Expression, News
Javad Alikordi, Khosrow Alikordi, Mashhad, Vakilabad prison

HRANA – Today, Saturday, March 1, 2025, Javad Alikordi, a defense attorney, was arrested by Mashhad’s Ministry of Intelligence forces and transferred to Vakilabad Prison in the city. Previously, the appeals court revoked the suspension of his prison sentence, ordering its enforcement.

Khosrow Alikordi, also a defense attorney, announced that his brother was detained in Mashhad on March 1, following a decision by Branch 37 of the Khorasan Razavi Appeals Court on February 26 to lift the suspension of his prison sentence.

Alikordi had previously been sentenced in March 2022 to two years in prison for “forming and leading a group with the intent to overthrow the government and disrupt national security,” eight months for “propaganda against the regime,” and one year and five months for “insulting the Supreme Leader.” Additionally, he was banned from teaching, joining political and social groups, and leaving the country for two years as supplementary punishment. After serving part of his sentence and receiving conditional release, his sentence had been suspended for three years.

However, on December 11, 2024, he was sentenced again to a fine for “propaganda against the regime” and was banned from traveling abroad and engaging in online activities as additional punishment. This new conviction led to the revocation of his prior sentence suspension, converting his suspended punishment into an enforceable prison term.

Javad Alikordi, a lawyer and university professor, was initially sentenced in early 2021 by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court to eight years and seven months in prison, along with a two-year ban on employment and teaching in educational institutions, a travel ban, and a prohibition from joining political and social groups. His sentence was later reduced to four years and one month on appeal, with two years of imprisonment being enforceable under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code. He was ultimately transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on July 15, 2021, to serve his sentence.

Seven Prisoners Executed in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad

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Executions, News
HRANA, Mashhad, Vakilabad prison

At dawn on Saturday, March 1, 2025, seven prisoners were executed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

The identities of four of them have been confirmed as Masoud Yagizi (Brahooie), Aref Sedighpour from Kerman, Asieh Ghavi-Cheshm (female), and Jalal Afagh. These prisoners had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. Ghavi-Cheshm and Afagh had been sentenced to death in a joint case.

The identities and charges of the other three individuals are still under investigation by HRANA.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and relevant institutions have not publicly announced these executions.

In 2024, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 812 cases related to the right to life, including the sentencing of 214 individuals to death and the execution of 930 individuals. Among these, 4 executions were carried out in public. Of those executed, 818 were male, 26 were female, and 5 were juvenile offenders—individuals under 18 years old at the time of their alleged crimes.

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Mohammad Amin Akhlaghi Attempts Suicide in Vakilabad Prison

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News, Prisoners
HRANA, Mashhad, Mohammad-Amin Akhlaghi, Ruhollah Ajamian

HRANA News Agency – Mohammad Amin Akhlaghi Savojbolaghi, one of the defendants in the case known as the “Killing of Basij Member Ruhollah Ajamian,” attempted suicide while serving his prison sentence in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad.

His brother announced in a social media post yesterday that following the suicide attempt, Akhlaghi was kept under inadequate medical care for 24 hours. He emphasized that Akhlaghi is in critical physical and mental condition and is unable to withstand further imprisonment.

Akhlaghi was arrested in Karaj during the 2022 nationwide protests in connection with the case involving the death of Ruhollah Ajamian, a Basij member.

In January 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of two defendants in this case while overturning the convictions of 14 others, referring their cases to a parallel court for retrial. On January 7, 2023, the death sentences of Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were carried out.

In late August 2023, following the Supreme Court’s approval of his conviction, Akhlaghi was transferred to Mashhad Prison to serve his sentence. Earlier that year, Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court had sentenced him to five years in prison.

Previously, the Chief Justice of Alborz Province had announced that the charges against three defendants in this case—Behrad Ali Kenari, Javad Zargaran, and Reza Shaker Zavardeh—had been revised, leading to their inclusion in a general amnesty and subsequent release.

Majid Shia Ali Imprisoned on Political Charges

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Freedom of Expression, News
HRANA, Khorasan Razavi Court, Majid Shia Ali, Mashhad, RGC Intelligence, مجید شیعه علی

HRANA News Agency – today, February 4, 2025, Majid Shia Ali, a resident of Mashhad, was arrested and transferred to prison to serve his one-year and six-month sentence.

On January 20, 2025, Branch 991 of the Mashhad Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office ordered this political defendant to report within ten days to serve his sentence.

Previously, in May 2023, the Khorasan Razavi Court of Appeals sentenced him to two years and six months in prison, of which the longest enforceable term—one year and six months—is now being carried out.

In February 2023, the Mashhad Revolutionary Court had initially sentenced Shia Ali to six years and six months in prison on three charges: “membership in a group formed to disrupt national security,” “propaganda against the regime,” and “insulting the Supreme Leader.”

According to HRANA, his case was opened after he posted content on social media related to the 2022 nationwide protests.

Majid Shia Ali, a PhD student at Mashhad’s Azad University, was first arrested in late November 2022 and was released on bail in mid-February 2023 from Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad. During his 56-day detention, he spent 40 days in solitary confinement at one of the IRGC Intelligence detention facilities in Mashhad.

Prisoner Executed in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad

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Executions, News
Hafez Bani Asadi, HRANA, Kahnuj, Mashhad, Vakilabad prison

HRANA News Agency – On February 3, 2025, the death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted of moharebeh (enmity against God) through armed robbery was carried out in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad.

HRANA has identified the prisoner as Hafez Bani Asadi, a resident of Kahnuj. According to information obtained by HRANA, he had been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court on charges of moharebeh through armed robbery.

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

In 2024, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 812 cases related to the right to life, including the sentencing of 214 individuals to death and the execution of 930 individuals. Among these, 4 executions were carried out in public. Of those executed, 818 were male, 26 were female, and 5 were juvenile offenders—individuals under 18 years old at the time of their alleged crimes.

Seyed Javad Hosseini Nejad Sentenced to Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
Javad Hosseini Nejad, Mashhad, Vakilabad prison, سید جواد حسینی نژاد

HRANA News Agency – Seyed Javad Hosseini-Nejad, a political prisoner held in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, has been sentenced to eight months in prison by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad.

According to a verdict recently issued and communicated to Mr. Hosseini-Nejad, he was convicted on charges of “propaganda against the regime.” Security forces arrested him in October 2024, after which he was transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

Approximately 36 years old, Seyed Javad Hosseini-Nejad is a father of one and a resident of Mashhad. He has previously faced arrest and imprisonment due to his activism.

Political Prisoners Fatemeh and Mohammad-Hossein Sepehri Face New Charges

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Ali Sepehri, Fatemeh Sepehri, Mashhad, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Vakilabad prison

HRANA News Agency – Fatemeh Sepehri and Mohammad-Hossein Sepehri, political prisoners held in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad, were charged yesterday, January 27, in connection with a new case opened against them.

Ali Sepehri, their brother, announced that the charges were brought by Branch 905 of the Mashhad Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office. The siblings are accused of “insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran” and “propaganda against the regime.” The charges reportedly stem from a letter recently published by the two prisoners.

Background on Arrests and Sentences
Fatemeh Sepehri was arrested in September 2022, and Mohammad-Hossein Sepehri in September 2023, both by security forces.

Fatemeh Sepehri has faced multiple convictions. She was sentenced to:

  • 10 years imprisonment for “collaboration with hostile governments,”
  • 5 years for “assembly and collusion,”
  • 2 years for “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and
  • 1 year for “propaganda against the regime.”

These sentences were upheld by the appeals court, with the 10-year sentence enforceable under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code. In February 2023, the Mashhad Criminal Court also sentenced her to 1 year in prison and a fine of 20 million tomans for “spreading falsehoods and disturbing public opinion.”

Additionally, in June 2023, Fatemeh Sepehri, alongside her brothers Mohammad Hossein and Hossein Sepehri, was sentenced to 18 years and 6 months in prison in a joint case. Mohammad Hossein Sepehri received an 8-year sentence in this case.

Fatemeh Sepehri is also known as one of the signatories of an open letter calling for the resignation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For this, she was initially sentenced to 5 years imprisonment by Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, later reduced to 3 years and 6 months on appeal. In early 2020, she was conditionally released for 5 years.

Additional Developments
In late November 2023, the Mashhad Education Department issued an order dismissing Mohammad-Hossein Sepehri from his teaching position, which was officially conveyed to him in Vakilabad Prison. In September 2024, Branch 25 of the Administrative Justice Court upheld his dismissal.

Both siblings have a history of arrests and convictions due to their political activities.