The Iranian regime began 2025 with an intensified wave of executions, recording over 99 executions throughout January. On the very first day of the year, 12 prisoners were hanged across Iran: five in Qezel-Hesar Prison, five in Bandar Abbas, and two others in Yasuj and Malayer.
By January 6, at least 31 prisoners had been executed. Some of the confirmed cases include:
January 2: Mostafa Shakeri and Khosrow Khodadadi (Zanjan)
January 4: Valiollah Kamalpour (Semnan) and Abolfazl Azadi (Hamedan)
January 5: Khalil Alizahi, Mohammad-Reza Hossein Zadeh, Amir Mohammad Farahani, and Sajjad Arzandeh (Adelabad Prison, Shiraz)
January 6: Ali Sa’di (Ahvaz)
The executions continued throughout the month, with multiple prisoners hanged on a single day:
January 20: Five prisoners, including Aref Azizi and Gholamreza Seyed Mohammadkhani (Mashhad), Saeed Dayani (Isfahan), Hojat Shahriari (Borazjan), and Ehsan Heidarali (Qazvin).
January 21: Two prisoners, Sardar Mohammad (Bandar Abbas) and Karim Faridi (Zanjan).
January 22: Seven prisoners, including Javad Jaberi and Omid Besharatlu (Qezel Hesar), Ahmad Sasouli (a 28-year-old Baluch prisoner), and three others in Yazd. Another prisoner was executed in Saveh for allegedly killing an SSF commander.
This mass execution campaign is part of the regime’s strategy to instill fear and prevent public uprisings.
Imminent Execution of Political Prisoners
On January 7, 2025, Iran’s judiciary reaffirmed death sentences for Behrouz Ehsani (69) and Mehdi Hassani (48) on charges of membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The sentences were originally issued on September 16, 2024, by Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court under charges including “waging war against God” (moharebeh), “spreading corruption on earth,” and “rebellion” (baghi).
Both prisoners were subjected to severe physical and psychological torture at Evin Prison’s Ward 209 after their arrests in 2022. On January 26, 2025, authorities forcibly transferred them from Evin Prison to Qezel Hesar Prison, where political executions are typically carried out.
Ehsani and Hassani were active members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, a movement launched by political prisoners in January 2024 to protest against executions. Their case highlights the political nature of the regime’s death sentences.
“No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign Marks One Year
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, initiated by political prisoners at Qezelhessar Prison, reached its 53rd consecutive week on January 29, 2025. Over the past year, it has expanded to 34 prisons nationwide, including:
Evin Prison (Women’s Ward, Wards 4 & 8), Greater Tehran Central Prison, Karaj Central Prison, Ahvaz Sheiban & Sepidar Prisons, Mashhad Prison, Isfahan Dastgerd Prison, Shiraz Adelabad Prison (Women’s Ward), Urmia, Tabriz, Rasht Lakan, and Naqadeh Prisons
Participants, including political prisoners and civil rights activists, engage in hunger strikes and protests every Tuesday.
A statement signed by over 3,000 political, religious, and cultural figures from 78 countries has condemned Iran’s execution policy, emphasizing that the regime uses capital punishment as a tool for political repression. The statement highlights the international community’s failure to take decisive action against these crimes, urging immediate intervention.
Crackdown on Female Political Prisoners in Evin
Following their sit-in protest against the transfer of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, a group of female political prisoners in Evin Prison has been denied visitation rights for three weeks, starting February 4, 2025.
Prison officials informed them that their punishment was due to their anti-government slogans and protests. The affected prisoners include: Azar Korvandi, Reyhaneh Ansari, Forough Taqi Pour, Shiva Esmaeili, Maryam Yahyavi, Golrokh Iraee, Sakineh Parvaneh, Zahra Safaei, Marzieh Farsi, Tahereh Nouri, Motahareh Gonaei, Nahid Khodajo, Elaheh Fouladi, Nasrin Khezri, Anisha Asadollahi, and Samaneh Asghari
The visitation ban applies to both in-person and cabin visits, demonstrating yet another form of repression against political prisoners, particularly women activists.
Conclusion
January 2025 has been marked by a dramatic increase in executions, harsh repression of political prisoners, and widespread human rights violations in Iran. The mass execution of over 99 prisoners, including Baluchis, underscores the regime’s use of the death penalty as a tool of oppression and intimidation.
With the international community’s attention focused on Iran’s human rights abuses, urgent action is needed to halt executions and protect political prisoners facing imminent death sentences.
