IRAN - Ramin Zleh and Karim Maroufpour

IRAN - Ramin Zleh and Karim Maroufpour Hanged in Naghadeh on May 21

May 21, 2026:

May 21, 2026 - IRAN. Ramin Zleh and Karim Maroufpour Hanged in Naghadeh on May 21
Two Kurdish political prisoners

State media reported that Ramin Zleh and Karim Maroufpour, two Kurdish political prisoners and co-defendants sentenced to death on charges of baghy (armed rebellion) through membership of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, have been executed.

At least 28 political prisoners have been executed in Iran since March 19. They include 15 protesters and 13 political prisoners affiliated with banned opposition groups (nine connected to the PMOI/MEK, two to Baluch groups, and two to Kurdish groups). Such a high number of political executions within this short timeframe is unprecedented since the 1980s.

Expressing grave concern over the ongoing executions of political prisoners, IHR once again called for an international response to the executions in Iran.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of the organisation, stated: “The purpose of these executions is to instill fear in society. The Islamic Republic knows that under the shadow of war, the political cost of executing political prisoners is lower, given the international community's focus on the war.” He added: “The international community, particularly European countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic, must unequivocally condemn the daily executions of political prisoners. An immediate halt to these executions must be a central demand in any dialogue or negotiation with the Islamic Republic."

According to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency, Ramin Zleh (left photo) and Karim Maroufpour (right photo) were hanged at an unspecified location on 21 May 2026. IHR has established the location of their executions as Naghadeh Prison, Western Azerbaijan province. Their executions were carried out secretly, without prior notification and last family visits.

The two Kurdish political prisoners were arrested in the summer of 2024, per the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, and held incommunicado while being subjected to months of physical and psychological torture to confess to the murder of an IRGC member in Piranshahr.

According to the official account, Ramin was trained to act as a ringleader during civil unrest and that the pair plotted to assassinate an IRGC base commander and a religious figure named Mullah Haidar. They were also accused of carrying out armed ambushes against military vehicles and a military base. Karim was accused of smuggling, storing and distributing the firearms used in these attacks.

Ramin and Karim were sentenced to death by Branch One of the Mahabad Revolutionary Court on charges of baghy through membership of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. They were informed of the verdict in December 2025. Their “detailed confessions” to the attack against a military vehicle and base were used as evidence, per the official report.

According to Kurdpa, the trial took minutes, with the two political prisoners denied access to lawyers of their choosing. The trial was presided over by Judge Siami.

https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8762/