26 July 2025 :
July 24, 2025 - IRAN. Political prisoner Yaghoub Derakhshan sentenced to death
Yaghoub Derakhshan, a 50-year-old Gilak political prisoner from Bandar Anzali, has been sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s judiciary on charges of moharebeh (Waging war against the God). Derakhshan is currently held in Lakan Prison in Rasht.
According to reports received by Hengaw, the death sentence was issued in recent days by Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar. On July 24, 2025, prison authorities formally informed Derakhshan of the ruling.
The judicial process leading to this sentence was marked by severe irregularities. The trial was conducted at unusual speed via video conference, without the presence of a defense lawyer—a clear violation of due process.
Derakhshan was initially arrested in July 2024 on charges of “propaganda against the state” and released a month later on bail pending trial. However, in April 2025, the charge was escalated to baghi (armed rebellion), and he was re-arrested and transferred to Lakan Prison in Rasht, where he remains in custody.
A source close to the case confirmed that the shift in charges from a speech-related offense to capital crimes occurred without new evidence or a transparent legal basis.
Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar is known for his harsh rulings and has sentenced at least four political activists—including Manouchehr Fallah, Peyman Farah-Avar, Yaghoub Derakhshan, and Sharifeh Mohammadi—to death in Gilan Province over the past year alone.
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2025/07/article-139
