Survivors of the July 26 assault recount unprecedented violence, torture, and extrajudicial executions inside Ghezel Hesar Prison.
A Coordinated and Violent Assault
Political prisoners held in Unit 4 of Ghezel Hesar Prison have issued a harrowing testimony describing what they call “Bloody Saturday of Ghezel Hesar” — the July 26, 2025 attack that left two of their cellmates executed and many others injured.
The statement, signed by the survivors, details an unprecedented and deliberate act of state violence. The prisoners state that all fundamental rights — from the right to life to the right to dignity, health, and fair trial — were “openly and violently trampled” in a single morning operation.
From 20 Prisoners to Two Executions
Before the assault, 20 political prisoners were held in Hall 20/3 of Unit 4. Among them were Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, who were executed hours after the raid. According to the prisoners’ testimony, both were denied access to legal counsel and any form of fair trial — a deprivation confirmed by a former head of Branch 33 Prosecutor’s Office.
The survivors express condolences to the families of the victims and to all bereaved families seeking justice in Iran.
How the Raid Began
At 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, several plainclothes officers entered the hall under the pretext of checking a “water outage.” Moments later, over 50 masked guards and several unmasked prison officials stormed in, including:
- Esmail Farajnejad – Deputy Head of “Health” at Ghezel Hesar Prison (raid commander)
- Kamarai – Head of Prison Intelligence Protection
- Ashrafabadi – Intelligence Protection official
- Ghasem Sahraei – Deputy Officer, Unit 3 (in charge of assault teams)
- Mohammadi – Deputy for Prison Finance
The testimony states that Sahraei, known for his loyalty to Iran regime’s Supreme Leader, incited guards to beat and kill the political prisoners, shouting: “We’ll kill every last one of you!”
Systematic Beatings and Injuries
Prisoners describe severe beatings with fists, boots, and batons, combined with sexual insults. Those near the entrance were immediately restrained, dragged out, and slammed against corridor walls.
Documented injuries include:
- Arsham Rezai: Kicked in the back, causing blood in urine for days.
- Asadollah Hadi (68, heart patient): Severe head swelling from a blow to the forehead.
- Akbar Bagheri: Thrown to the ground with hands bound; confirmed meniscus injury.
- Reza Salmanzadeh: Slammed into a wall despite a history of internal surgeries.
Other named victims of the assault include Khosro Rahnama, Ali Moezi, Mohammad Shafiei, Mostafa Ramezani, Reza Mohammad Hosseini Taameh, Abolhassan Montazer, Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb, and several others.
Humiliation and Transfer
All 20 prisoners were taken barefoot, with torn and bloodied clothes, past the prison unit’s main office, where plainclothes agents — believed to be from the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence — observed.
They were loaded into two vehicles. Witnesses recall Behrouz Ehsani telling the guards: “You’re leaving soon; do whatever you want.” Sahraei responded with repeated blows to his head and neck, shouting: “Yes, we’re leaving — but we’ll finish you all first!”
When Mehdi Hassani saw this, he stepped forward and identified himself loudly. Both men were separated from the group, along with Saeed Masouri, a long-term political prisoner, who was later returned to the ward.
Fast-Tracked Executions
Ehsani and Hassani were taken to the special ward of Unit 1 and executed within hours. News of their deaths reached their fellow prisoners five days later. The statement calls the act “beyond even the brutality of ISIS” in its denial of humanity to the condemned.
Desecration and Warning
Upon their return to the hall, prisoners found their Qurans torn and thrown to the floor. The survivors write that even this insult was minor compared to the theft of life and dignity from their comrades.
They hold senior intelligence and judicial officials directly responsible, warning that silence over Bloody Saturday of Ghezel Hesar will pave the way for wider mass executions, targeting political and religious prisoners as well as ordinary citizens accused of civil activism.
Hunger Strike in Protest
The signatories — survivors of the July 26 raid — announced they will launch a hunger strike on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in the 81st week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, in memory of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani.
The testimony closes with a stark message: “Silence is complicity.”
