At Least 16 Prisoners Executed in 9 Different Prisons
In a worrying continuation of the increasing trend of executions in Iran, at least 16 prisoners have been hanged in recent days across the prisons of Qezel-Hessar, Bukan, Shahroud, Gonbad-e Kavus, Qom, Aligudarz, Kermanshah, Gonabad, and Mashhad. These executions once again raise serious concerns about the widespread violation of the right to life and the lack of fair trials in the judicial system of the Islamic Republic.
Executions in Mashhad: Targeting Sunni Political Prisoners
One of the most striking cases is the execution of 10 prisoners at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Five of those executed were Sunni political prisoners—Farhad Shakeri, Taj-Mohammad Khormali, Malek Fadaei Nasab, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij, and Abdolrahman Gorgij—who were executed after more than a decade of imprisonment, torture, and denial of fair trial. On the same day, five other prisoners were also executed, two of whom have been identified as Amir Ahmad Sanaei (Mazarezahi) and Mohammadreza Damideh.
A Child Faced the Gallows
In a particularly shocking case, Behzad, a 20-year-old prisoner from Maraveh Tappeh, who was under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged crime, was executed in Gonbad-e Kavus prison. The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a signatory.
Scattered Executions: From Bukan to Gonabad
Other executions include:
- Seyed Taha Hasani, 23, executed in Bukan Prison.
- Gholamreza Pardakhteh, father of four, executed in Shahroud.
- Samir Ghasemi in Qom Prison.
- Shahram Goodarzi in Aligudarz.
- Kambiz Fathi in Kermanshah.
- Esmail Dahmardeh, an elderly prisoner who had denied the charges against him, executed in Gonabad.
Qezel-Hesar: Four Executions in One Day
In Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, four more prisoners were executed. Among them, Bahram Hedavandkhani had been on death row for 16 years. The identities of Salar Amirjalali and Abolfazl Karimi have also been confirmed.
