According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Ahvaz Sepidar Prison, Khuzestan province on 28 April 2025. His identity has been established as Abolfazl Kianpour from Masjed Suleiman.
He was arrested three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.
Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.
Crucially, while an indicative amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money.
According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 419 people including a juvenile offender and 19 women, were executed for murder charges, the highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 12% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2024, Iran Human Rights also recorded 649 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions.
Execution in Gonabad
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 29, 2025: Alirmorad Kakayi, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Gonabad Prison.
According to HRANA news agency, a man was hanged in Gonabad Prison, Khorasan Razavi province, on 21 April 2025. His identity has been reported as 58-year-old Alimorad Kakayi. He was arrested for drug-related offences four years ago and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.
At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 503 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only under 3% were announced by official sources. 17% of all drug-related executions in 2024 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population.
Execution Sabzevar
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 29, 2025: Saeed Amirizadeh, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Sabzevar Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Sabzevar Prison in Khorasan Razavi province on 15 April 2025. His identity has been established as 34-year-old Saeed Amirizadeh from Sabzevar who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “Saeed was arrested for killing someone over personal and financial debt three years ago. His family offered to give their house to the victim’s family as diya (blood money), but they refused and requested execution.”
At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Man executed in Qazvin on his birthday
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 28, 2025: Alireza Ahmadpour, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed on his birthday in Qazvin Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Qazvin (Choobindar) Central Prison on 1 March 2025. His identity has been established as 45-year-old Alireza Ahmadpour from Rasht.
He was arrested for drug-related offences sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. His execution took place on his birthday.
At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Group hanging in Isfahan
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 29, 2025: A group execution of six including a woman, three Baluch and an Arab minority took place in Isfahan Central Prison. Marjan Sabzi, Rouhollah Palangi, Mohammad Totazehi, Abdolrashid Barahouyi, Reza Khaledi and Naser Feizi were all on death row for drug-related offences.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, five men and a woman were hanged in Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison on 28 April 2025. Their identities have been established as Marjan Sabzi, a woman from Khorramabad, 35-year-old Rouhollah Palangi, 26-year-old Mohammad Totazehi, 40-year-old Abdolrashid Barahouyi, three Baluch minorities, Reza Khaledi, an Arab minority, and 28-year-old Naser Feizi.
They were all sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “Rouhollah was from Rigan in Kerman and had been arrested five years ago. Mohammad and Abdolrashid were from Zahedan and were arrested for the same case seven years ago. Reza Khaledi was from Dezful and on death row for four years. Marjan Sabzi was arrested five year ago. Naser was from Rasht and on death row for four years.”
At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Marjan Sabzi is the ninth woman to be executed in 2025 according to IHRNGO data. Iran executes the highest number of women globally. In 2024, at least 31 women were executed for drug-related, murder and security-related charges in Iran, the highest number of recorded women executions in more than 15 years.
In January 2025, IHRNGO published a report titled “Women and the Death Penalty in Iran; a Gendered Perspective,” which sheds light on the contemporary experiences of women facing the death penalty, focusing on the discriminatory laws and societal factors that perpetuate their suffering.
Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, April 28-29, 2025
"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
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