IRAN - 54 Political and Security Prisoners Sentenced to Death

IRAN - List of 54 Political and Security Prisoners on Death Row

January 9, 2025:

January 9, 2025 - IRAN. List of 54 Political and Security Prisoners Sentenced to Death in Iran
Recent investigations by HRANA reveal that at least 54 prisoners across Iran have been sentenced to death on political or security-related charges. The findings show that some of these sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court and forwarded to execution branches. Of these, at least 24 were sentenced to death by Tehran’s Revolutionary and Criminal Courts, while the remaining 30 are concentrated in provinces such as Khuzestan, Razavi Khorasan, West Azerbaijan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Kurdistan.
HRANA’s research highlights serious due process violations in many of these cases. Prisoners were frequently denied fair trials, including restricted or outright denial of access to legal representation and a lack of transparency in judicial proceedings. Some were denied access to their chosen attorneys, while in other instances, judicial authorities blocked meetings between prisoners and their lawyers. A significant number of these individuals, who denied the charges against them, were sentenced to death following opaque and unjust trials. Reports further indicate that some of these prisoners are currently held in solitary confinement, awaiting execution.
Investigations show that judges in Tehran courts have issued the majority of death sentences for these prisoners. The main charge against them is cited as “Baghi” (armed rebellion or uprising against the government). Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, and Branch 26, led by Judge Iman Afshari, have played significant roles in issuing these sentences. In Urmia, sentences against prisoners, including porters accused of espionage for Israel, have been issued by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court.
Some death sentences were reissued in equivalent-level courts after being overturned by the Supreme Court. For example, Hatem Özdemir and Abbas (Mojahid) Korkor (Korkori) were resentenced to death in equivalent courts following the annulment of their initial sentences. Similarly, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani was sentenced to death for the third time during judicial proceedings.
While certain individuals have been accused of espionage, the Iranian government’s track record of leveraging such charges as a political tool against dissidents raises serious doubts about these allegations. The use of the death penalty in cases shrouded in secrecy and lacking transparency only exacerbates concerns.
Lawyers for some of these prisoners have repeatedly asserted that their clients were sentenced to death in unfair judicial processes that failed to meet fair trial standards. For instance, in the case of Pakhshan Azizi, her lawyers stated that the evidence presented to the Supreme Court demonstrated that she had no involvement in military activities and was solely engaged in humanitarian efforts in refugee camps for those displaced by ISIS. They expressed concern over the potential rushed handling of the case and called for a thorough and fair review of the evidence.
This report focuses on the human consequences of these cases, identifying the names and examining the latest legal statuses of 54 prisoners sentenced to death on political and security-related charges.

1. Varisheh Moradi
2. Pakhshan Azizi
3. Akbar Daneshvar-Kar
4. Seyed Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi
5. Babak Alipour
6. Pouya Ghobadi Bistoni
7. Vahid Bani-Amerian
8. Seyed Abolhasan Montazer
9. Eido Shah-Bakhsh
10. Abdolghani Shah-Bakhsh
11. Abdolrahim Ghanbarzahi Gorgij (Rahim Mirbaloch)
12. Soleiman Shah-Bakhsh
13. Milad Armoun
14. Alireza Kafaei
15. Amir Mohammad Khosh-Eghbal
16. Navid Najaran
17. Hossein Nemati
18. Alireza Barmarz Pournak
19. Edris Ali
20. Azad Shojaei
21. Rasoul Ahmad Mohammad
22. Behrooz Ehsani
23. Mehdi Hassani
24. Hamid Hossein-Nezhad Heidaranlou
25. Hatem Özdemir
26. Mehrab (Mehran) Abdollahzadeh
27. Naser Bekrzadeh
28. Shahin Vasaf
29. Shahriar Bayat
30. Farshid Hassan Zahi
31. Mohammad Zeyneddini
32. Adham Naroui
33. Mohammad Javad Vafaei Thani
34. Abbas Deris
35. Ahmadreza Jalali (Djalali)
36. Yousef Ahmadi
37. Mohammad Mehdi Soleimani
38. Ali Mojdam
39. Mohammadreza Moghadam
40. Moein Khanfari
41. Adnan Ghobeishavi
42. Salem Mousavi
43. Habib Deris
44. Farhad Shakeri
45. Isa Eidmohammadi
46. Abdolrahman Gorgij
47. Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij
48. Taj Mohammad Khormali
49. Malek Ali Fadaei Nasab
50. Malek Davarshenas (Seyed Malek Mousavi)
51. Ali Obeidavi
52. Saman Mohammadi Kheyareh
53. Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh
54. Abbas (Mojahed) Korkor (Korkouri)

This report highlights the widespread violations of human rights and justice in Iran. Many of the individuals sentenced to death are accused of political offenses such as “Baghi” and “Moharebeh,” while some were engaged in non-violent activities or were arrested solely for political or ideological reasons. Many have been denied fair trials, including access to independent legal representation and transparent judicial processes.
The death penalty, as a form of punishment, stands in complete contradiction to the fundamental right to life and universal principles of human rights. Its use, particularly against political prisoners, is often accompanied by blatant violations of defendants’ rights, including forced confessions obtained under torture, denial of fair trials, and its application as a tool to suppress dissenting views and activities. Such actions not only violate human dignity but also lack any moral or legal justification under human rights principles and must be halted immediately.
It is worth noting that the crisis of executions extends beyond political and security prisoners. According to the annual statistics of the Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), at least 930 prisoners, including 5 juvenile offenders, were executed in Iran between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. This represents an increase of approximately 24.6% compared to the same period in the previous year. Among these, 4 executions were carried out publicly, 214 individuals were sentenced to death, and the Supreme Court upheld 54 other initial death sentences during the same period.
This report reveals that many individuals are sentenced to death not for committing violent crimes but for engaging in civic, political, or ideological activities. This raises serious concerns about the use of the death penalty as a tool to suppress political and ideological dissent.
The international community, human rights organizations, and the public must actively monitor these cases and apply pressure on the Iranian government to prevent the unjust execution of these sentences.

https://www.en-hrana.org/the-latest-comprehensive-list-of-54-political-and-security-prisoners-sentenced-to-death-in-iran/