In August 2026, the human rights situation in the Iran witnessed a catastrophic deterioration. According to data compiled by Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), a total of 92 executions were documented during this month, reflecting an alarming surge in the clerical regime’s use of the death penalty to stifle dissent. Of these 92 executions, 85 were carried out secretly without any official announcement by the judiciary or state media, while only seven executions, including that of one woman, were officially acknowledged. Among the victims of this execution wave were six women, juvenile offenders, ethnic minorities, and individuals arrested during the recent popular uprisings. Concurrently, the regime’s security apparatus intensified its crackdown on political prisoners, marked by violent prison raids, enforced disappearances, systematic denials of medical care, and the deliberate imposition of inhumane living conditions across detention centers nationwide.
The Escalation of the Death Penalty and Arbitrary Executions
The regime’s judiciary has aggressively accelerated the execution machine in response to ongoing social unrest. Between July 28 and August 3, 2026, at least 26 prisoners were executed. On August 3, state authorities announced the hanging of Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat on charges of ‘espionage and intelligence cooperation with Israel.’ However, the vast majority of executions remained unannounced. Arvin Kheirkhahan, a protester detained during the January uprising, was executed secretly in Shahroud on August 1, with the judiciary remaining completely silent about his case.
Subsequent waves of executions throughout the month further highlight the systematic deployment of capital punishment:
August 16: The execution of Shahram Sadeghi, an uprising protester, in Karaj. Arrested on February 5, 2026, Sadeghi was sentenced to death on fabricated charges of ‘operational action in favor of hostile groups’ after allegedly driving toward security agents during protests.
August 19: Twelve prisoners were executed in a single day, including Farshad Safari (Karaj), Ali Afzali (Sabzevar), Morad Noureh (Dezful), Davoud Siah-Mansouri (Qezelhesar), Donya Mohammadi, Khodadad Mohammadi, Mohsen Zarouni (Ilam), and five prisoners in Isfahan (Lotfollah Ahmadvand, Abdulbaset Barahouie, Omidreza Ghanbarian, Amir Farhadi, and Mohsen Darabi).
August 20: Ghaem Hosseini, a 21-year-old protester of Afghan origin, was hanged in Isfahan. Hosseini was arrested in connection with the ‘Alikhani Square’ case during the January uprising. Seven other young co-defendants in this case—Alireza Sepahi, Shervin Bagherian, Amir-Hossein Ebrahimi, Amir-Hossein Maleki, Ali Dashti, Abolfazl Ebrahimi, and Alireza Reisi—remain in imminent danger of execution.
August 23: Six prisoners were executed, including Majid Adineh, an uprising protester, at Karaj Central Prison, and Fatemeh Kamal Zare (30) in Karaj. Majid Adineh was convicted of national security charges without any substantiating evidence. Other victims included Ardalan Sabzi (Maku), Mohammad Ali Kaffashi, Hamed Emami (Semnan), and Bahram Keshavarzi (Shiraz).
August 24–26: Within a four-day window, 23 executions were carried out, averaging one every four hours. Among those executed were three women: Fatemeh Kamal-Zare, Zahra Azizpour (Lakan Prison, Rasht), and Arezoo Rastad (Isfahan).
The execution of juvenile offender Farzad Sobhani (19) on July 29 in Urmia, who was only 16 years old at the time of his alleged offense, constitutes a flagrant violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which Iran is a state party to.
Violent Prison Raids and Systematic Crackdowns on Political Prisoners
Political prisoners across several facilities were subjected to unprecedented violence and pressure. On August 1 and August 8, 2026, prison guards and security forces conducted brutal raids on Ward 7 of Evin Prison, targeting political prisoners and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
During the August 1 raid on Ward 7, guards severely beat inmates and forcibly transferred six political prisoners—Amir Hossein Moradi (26, an elite Sharif University student held since 2020), Ehsan Rostami (sociologist and publisher), Ramin Rostami, Pejman Toobareh-Rizi (sentenced to 20 years), Mojtaba Taghavi (58), and children’s rights activist Afshin Heyratian—to unknown locations. On August 8, guards raided Halls 3 and 4 of Ward 7, beating prisoners, plundering personal belongings, and disrupting communications. Key prison officials involved in these operations include Fathollahi (chief of prison guards), Rostami (deputy chief), Sadeghi (deputy head of security), Yousefi (health affairs deputy), Haghjou (head of inspection), and Mahmoudi (head of Ward 7).
Furthermore, the Iranian regime has continued its policy of enforced disappearances. The whereabouts and legal status of 11 PMOI supporters arrested between May and July 2026 remain completely unknown. These individuals include Abolhasan Gholamreza-Nasab (42), Ali-Akbar Karimi (42), Amir-Hossein Baddaghi (21), Mahmoud-Ali Arab (20), Ehsan Sahraei (45), Alireza Dahmardeh (18), Javad Behzadi (34), Ghazal Sayyadi (38), Ashkan Mortazavi (38), Benjamin Obaydi (41), and Amir-Aslan Mameneh (20).
Deplorable Sanitary Conditions and Inhumane Treatment
Prison authorities have systematically weaponized substandard living and sanitary conditions to break the resolve of political detainees:
Evin Prison (Ward 7): A severe viral illness rapidly spread due to overcrowding and lack of medical care. Prison authorities confiscated all cooling equipment, leaving prisoners in enclosed spaces with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Basic sanitary items and medications are withheld unless purchased at exorbitant prices from guard-linked prison mafias.
Fardis Prison (Karaj): In Ward 1, where female political prisoners including Masoumeh Senobari, Atefeh Hassani, and Fatemeh Nadi Dastgirdi are held, sewage has overflowed into the recreation courtyard. The resulting insect infestation and unsanitary environment have caused widespread infectious diseases, with guards denying medical care.
Karaj Central Prison (Ward 2): Approximately 300 to 400 detainees from the January uprising are crammed into highly congested spaces, forcing many to sleep on the floor. Access to showers is limited to two hours per week. Guards have distributed synthetic drugs within the ward to destabilize prisoners, leading to severe psychological distress and suicide attempts.
Qezel Hesar Prison: In Ward 37, Unit 3, 65 uprising detainees are held in extremely overcrowded conditions without legal counsel or medical attention. Meanwhile, high-frequency signal jammers installed in Unit 2 have caused severe physical symptoms among inmates, including constant dizziness, nausea, and physical pain.
Gonbad-e Qabus Prison: Inmates face critical food shortages, with guards rationing only one loaf of bread for every three prisoners while the prison store refuses to sell food. Sewage overflows have further contaminated the living quarters.
Judicial Harassment, Exiles, and Targeting of Families
The Iranian judiciary continues to employ punitive exile and the harassment of relatives as tools of repression. Political prisoner Masoud Jamei in Ahvaz’s Sheiban Prison was placed in solitary confinement without cooling devices in extreme summer heat after protesting conditions. Jamei, alongside Farshad Etemadifar and Alireza Mardasi, faces two death sentences on charges of ‘Moharebeh’ (enmity against God). Parisa Kamali (39), currently exiled to Yazd Prison, was subjected to a new sham trial on August 10 on propaganda charges.
Additionally, Hojjat Alizadegan, a political prisoner supporting the PMOI, was exiled to Saravan Prison, where he was placed among common criminals and denied access to his essential medications. In Lakan Prison in Rasht, Sunni political prisoner Hamzeh Darvish was severely beaten by guards for exposing prison conditions. The regime has also targeted families; Atefeh Hasani was arrested to pressure her brother, political prisoner Mohammad Hasani, while the father of executed protester Abbas Akbari Faizabadi was sentenced to three years in prison in Naeen for seeking justice for his son.
Call to Action
Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM) strongly condemns the alarming rise in executions, the brutal raids on political wards, and the systematic denial of medical care to detainees. Iran HRM urges the United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and all international human rights bodies to take immediate action. An international fact-finding mission must be dispatched to visit Iranian prisons, meet with political prisoners, and halt the ongoing executions and human rights violations perpetrated by the Iranian regime.
