In the days leading up to the holy month of Ramadan, Iranian authorities carried out a series of mass executions across multiple prisons, putting at least 48 prisoners to death between February 20 and March 1. Among those executed were a woman, a father and son, and seven Baluch prisoners, highlighting concerns over the high number of executions targeting ethnic minorities in Iran.
14 Executed on March 1, Including Baluch Prisoners
On Saturday, March 1, authorities executed 14 prisoners in different cities. Among the victims were:
Asieh Ghavicheshm, the only woman among those hanged, in Mashhad, Massoud Barahouei, Aref Sadeqpour, Mehrdad Kalbali, Hassan Shahraki, and three brothers—Jalal, Javad, and Alireza Afagh—all executed in Mashhad, Mehrdad Asgarabadi in Arak, Mohammad Araqi and Ramin Alaei in Tabriz, A father and son in Qorveh, and Arsalan Pasha in Amol.
20 Executed on February 26
On Wednesday, February 26, 20 prisoners were put to death across several prisons:
Qezelhessar Prison (Karaj): Mosayyeb Azizi, Sajjad Eghbali-Garavand, Bahman Houshmand, Alireza Basati-Nia, Mostafa Hajir-Pirouz, and five others.
Kermanshah: Behrouz Safari-Qaleh-Zanjiri, Milad Moradi, Ali Cheshmeh-Sefidi, Mohammad Fereidouni, and three others.
Birjand: Abdollah Safarzahi.
Isfahan: Javad Mohammadkhani.
Ahvaz: Mir Mohammad Paridar.
Public Execution in Esfarayen and More Hangings Across Iran
On Friday, February 28, Shoaib Rezapour was publicly executed in Esfarayen, marking another case of public hangings used as a tool of intimidation.
On Thursday, February 27, three prisoners—Ali Khalili (Sari), Amir Jafar Panah (Qezelhessar), and Morteza Jafari (Isfahan)—were executed.
On Monday, February 24, Ebrahim Khoosheh (Ahvaz) and Yousef Rostami (Shiraz) were hanged.
On Sunday, February 23, Kaveh Asadbeigi (Zanjan) and Naim Abdi (Qorveh) were executed.
On Saturday, February 22, authorities carried out five executions in Isfahan, including Mojtaba Khorramdel, Shahin Goudarzi, Vahid Mohebbi, Asghar Dehghani, and Ahmad Hanafi.
On Thursday, February 20, ten prisoners were executed in different prisons, including Behrouz Goshoul and Hossein Goshoul (Isfahan), Babak Hajipour (Ahvaz), Milad Naseri (Gonbad-e Kavus), Aref Zafaranlou, Hossein Sasani, and Mohammad Barahouyi (Qezelhessar), Soran Aminpour and Shahin Mahdavi (Mahabad), and another prisoner in Bushehr.
Lack of Transparency and Escalating Use of the Death Penalty
The Iranian authorities continue to conceal official execution statistics, refusing to release the names and charges of many executed prisoners. The surge in executions, particularly those targeting ethnic minorities such as Baluch and Kurdish prisoners, has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations.
Iran remains one of the world’s top executioners, with capital punishment frequently carried out for drug-related offenses, political charges, and cases lacking fair trial standards. Iran HRM warns that the number of executions may be even higher, as many cases go unreported due to government secrecy and fear of retaliation against the families of the condemned.
