On March 18, 2022, on the eve of the traditional Iranian celebration Nowruz, Iranian dissidents declared the Tehran regime had hanged at least 365 inmates since March 21, 2021. These executions are in addition to those who lost their lives due to torture or arbitrary murders practiced by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), State Security Forces (SSF), or the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

One Inmate Hanged Every Day in Iran

According to the Iran Azadi website, the regime in Iran executed political prisoners, women, elderly inmates, and juvenile offenders.

The Executed Political Prisoners in Iran

According to rights activists, authorities in Iran executed at least five political prisoners in the past 12 months, including:

Heydar Ghorbani—on December 19, 2021, the regime hanged Mr. Ghorbani, 48, at the Sanandaj Central Prison, the western province of Kurdistan.

The Judiciary had convicted him of bogus charges, such as Baghy [being rogue], cooperating with, and membership in the Democratic Party of Kurdistan of Iran. Security forces detained him while returning home on October 11, 2016.

Hadi Shahryari—on December 23, 2021, authorities hanged Mr. Shahryari at the Shiraz Central Prison, the southcentral province of Fars. He had been kept behind bars for ten years due to non-fatal clashes with some of his relatives.

He was renowned as Hadi Khan from the Shesh-Blouki part of the great Qashqai tribe. The regime had already sentenced him to death. Mr. Shahryari was the 138th executed inmate during the first 140-day period of Ebrahim Raisi’s tenure in office.

Abdelbaset Rigi—on January 17, 2022, the regime hanged Mr. Rigi, 33, at the Zahedan Central Prison, the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

He was from Saravan city. Mr. Rigi was also married and had three children. The Judiciary had sentenced him to death three years ago, accusing him of Muharebeh—waging war against God. He spent all these years behind bars.

Mehran Naqdi and Jahanbakhsh Abbasi—on January 12, 2022, authorities hanged the two young protesters in the Khorramabad Central Prison in the western province of Lorestan.

The Judiciary had sentenced Mr. Naqdi and Abbasi to death, accusing them of Muharebeh and setting gas stations ablaze in the Darreh Garm district in Khorramabad in 2018.

The Executed Juvenile Offenders and Women in Iran

During the past 12 months, the regime has executed at least 16 women and six juvenile offenders, according to dissidents. Aside from political prisoners, most executions were related to murder, drugs, and abuse accusations.

The executed juvenile offenders were:

  1. Bahaoddin Qassemzadeh (M)
  2. Sajjad Sanjari (M)
  3. Arman Abdol’ali (M)
  4. Ali-Akbar Mohammadi (M)
  5. Mohammad Tazeh’kar (M)
  6. Khatoun Hamidi (F)

“The 100 more executions during the year and the executions of seven women in just one month are the outcomes of the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi. The regime’s president is known as ‘the butcher of Tehran’ for his direct role in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in just a few months in 1988,” stated the Women Committee of the Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) on January 3, 2022.

For instance, the regime hanged Mrs. Sousan Rezaei-Pour, a victim of child marriage, at the Qazvin Central Prison, the central province of Qazvin, on October 27, 2021. She had been detained for six years, accused of murder.

On December 14, 2021, authorities hanged Mrs. Masoumeh Zare’i after holding her behind bars for seven years. Prison guards refused to implement the ‘sentence on her execution day,’ which forced authorities to bring an executioner from another prison to hang Mrs. Zare’i. She was waiting to be hanged at the gallows for hours.

Murdered Inmates due to Torture or Lack of Medical care in Iran

On May 23, 2021, security forces arbitrarily detained Mr. Abdollah Barati, 37, and his son in Ahvaz, the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Authorities brutally tortured him for two days, and he finally died under lethal blows in front of his son.

Mr. Barati was married and had two children. He was living in Kuy-e Alavi district. “Security forces surrounded Abdollah in 20 St. at Hay al-Soureh with two vehicles while walking with his son,” said an eyewitness.

On May 24, 2021, prison guards tortured Amir Rezaei to death in the Urmia Central Prison, the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan. A day earlier, Mr. Rezaei was thrown down from the second floor by a prison guard named Ahad Zekavatan, resulting in spinal cord amputation.

The guards then transferred him to solitary confinement rather than providing urgent medical care. In solitary confinement, interrogators tortured Mr. Rezaei to death and took his corpse to the prison clinic a day later.

On June 7, 2021, political prisoner Sasan Nik-Nafas held in the Tehran Greater Penitentiary, died due to officials’ refusal to provide him with urgent and critical medical care. He was suffering from various illnesses and disorders.

On June 12, 2021, Mr. Shamsuddin Tatari died at the Urmia Central Prison following a heart attack and authorities’ delay in sending him to a hospital.

On June 16, 2021, authorities detained Mr. Massoud Kahnaki Kongi in Suran country, the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Interrogators and intelligence agents tortured Mr. Kongi to death at the local police station.

On July 21, 2021, authorities tortured Mr. Rahman Ahmadian, 38, to death in the intelligence office of Urmia, the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan.

On November 2, 2021, the guards at Sanandaj Central Prison, the western province of Kurdistan, killed Mr. Khosro Jamali-far, 26, with batons.

On January 1, 2022, political prisoner Adel Kian-pour died following the deterioration of his health due to a week of hunger strike. Protesting officials’ decision to ban him from a fair trial, Mr. Kian-pour had begun a hunger strike. However, officials denied providing necessary medical care for him, leading to his death.

On January 7, 2022, author, poet, filmmaker, and political prisoner Baktash Abtin, held in Tehran’s notorious prison of Evin, lost his life to coronavirus. Officials intentionally refused to provide him with necessary medical care, prompting his family, relatives, and activists to protest.

“Death to the murderous regime,” his friends chanted during the funeral of Mr. Abtin despite a heavy security presence and authorities’ crackdown.

Death to murderous regime, protesters chant at Baktash Abtin's funeral in Tehran; January 9, 2022

Special Executions in Iran

On August 1, 2021, authorities hanged Mr. Mohammad-Ali Sharifi, 38, in Jiroft Prison, the southeastern province of Kerman. Authorities had kept him behind bars for 16 years.

On August 4, 2021, authorities hanged Mojtaba Tondru, 45, at the Karaj Central Prison, the central province of Alborz. The regime had held him in jail for 17 years. His brother, a military wrestler, had been hanged some while earlier.

On September 8, 2021, Mr. Ali-Mardan Boland-Gerami was hanged in Yasuj Central Prison, the southwestern province of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari, despite the lack of evidence.

To incriminate him, judicial authorities resorted to an ambiguous ruling’ Qossameh,’ meaning that 50 men of the slain person’s family and relatives testified against the victim instead of using acceptable documents.

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Iran: Authorities Hang More Prisoners Despite Public Outcry

On September 29, 2021, authorities hanged Mr. Abbasgholi Salehi, 42, in Dastgerd Prison—the central prison in Isfahan province. The regime had kept him behind bars for 20 years. Days before the execution, about 200 residents of Mr. Salehi’s hometown rallied outside the prison, protesting the imminent implementation of the death penalty.

The regime claimed that the execution was due to drug-related accusations, while his family, relatives, and friends rejected them. At his funeral, thousands of citizens attended and bid a farewell to him, “Death to the dictator,” while praising the victim as a hero.

State-back thugs reportedly broke the tomb of Mr. Salehi 20 days later. Attackers wrote, “Death to the MEK,” referring to the opposition Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI), showing the execution was for political reasons.

On September 29, 2021, the regime hanged Mr. Farhad Salehi-Jobbehdar, 30, in Karaj Central Prison. He was falsely accused of abuse, and the plaintiff had withdrawn the complaint. Nevertheless, the authorities hanged him.

Two brothers of Ali-Mohammad Mohammadi, 45, and Islam Mohammadi, 38, were hanged on October 19, 2021, at Ahvaz’s Sepidar Prison, the southwestern province of Khuzestan. At the time, their mother had a heart attack and lost her life in a medical center.

Following the criminal execution, the people of Ramhormoz city protested and clashed with the security forces, resulting in five injuries and dozens of arrests.

On December 9, 2021, authorities hanged Mr. Khaled ShahBakhsh at the Kerman Central Prison to retaliate against his tribe. The Judiciary had sentenced him to 25 years on drug-related charges; however, the regime hanged him following clashes between the Shah-Bakhsh tribe and the rangers’ unit at the Samsour plain, where he had spent four years of his prison term.

On January 27, 2022, authorities hanged Mr. Mir-Soltan Amiri, 70, at the Urmia Central Prison. He had been kept in jail for three and a half years due to drug-related charges.

Sadly, the regime had hanged his son Shahryar Amiri on charges akin to his father’s accusations at the same prison on July 3, 2021.

Arbitrary Murders in Iran

From the last Nowruz to this Nowruz, at least 105 innocent people were arbitrarily murdered by SSF, IRGC, MOIS agents, and other suppressive agencies.

These murders included impoverished porters in the Kurdish region, Baluch fuel carriers in Sistan and Baluchestan province, participants at the funeral of the executed prisoners, and ordinary passengers suspected by authorities. IRGC Basij paramilitary forces also opened fire on unarmed people in a tribal clash and killed several.

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