In recent days, at least seven prisoners, including one woman, were executed in the prisons of Tabriz, Qezel Hesar, Miandoab, Aligudarz, and Mashhad. This brings the number of executions within a month to at least 161, raising concerns about the intensifying wave of executions in Iran.
Execution of Two Prisoners in Tabriz
On the morning of Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Zahra Fotouhi (52 years old) and Morteza Shirkhani (40 years old) were executed in Tabriz Prison. Both had previously been arrested and sentenced to death on charges of murder.
Execution in Qezel Hesar Prison, Karaj
On the same day, two prisoners were hanged in Qezel Hesar Prison. One of them, an Afghan national, has not yet been identified. The second prisoner was Masoud Takhtizadeh from Kuhdasht. Both were convicted of “drug-related offenses.” With these cases, the number of executions in Qezel Hesar on September 16 and 17, 2025, has reached eight.
Executions in Miandoab and Aligudarz
On the morning of Tuesday, September 16, 2025, Ahmad Hashemi in Miandoab Prison and Hojjat Goodarzi in Aligudarz Prison were executed on charges of murder.
Execution in Mashhad
On the morning of Thursday, September 18, 2025, Javad Afaq (36 years old, from Kholghabad village) was executed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad on charges of drug-related offenses. It should be noted that his brother, Jalal Afaq, had been executed in the same prison a few months earlier, in March 2025, on similar charges.
A large portion of these sentences are related to non-violent offenses such as drug crimes, which, under international standards, should not carry the death penalty.
