Iran | Executions in Tabriz, Karaj, Mashhad, Buin Zahra

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); September 18, 2025: Zahra Fotouhi and Morteza Shirkhani, a woman and a man on death row for separate murders, were executed in Tabriz Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a woman and a man were hanged in Tabriz Central Prison on 17 September 2025. Their identities have been established as 52-year-old Zahra Fotouhi from Tabriz and 40-year-old Morteza Shirkhani from Tabriz. They were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for separate murders.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Zahra was arrested for the murder of her ex-husband five years ago. After divorcing her first husband and nine years of marriage with her second husband, she was accused of killing the first husband for stalking her. Morteza was arrested for the murder of his friend over financial issues four years ago.”

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Zahra Fotouhi is the 27th woman execution recorded in 2025 and the 19th to be hanged for murder. 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.

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. Should the victim’s family choose execution, they are not only encouraged to attend, but also to physically carry out the execution themselves.

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. In the first eight months of 2025, at least 375 people were executed for murder charges in Iran.

At Least 7 Men Hanged for Drug Offences in Ghezel Hesar Prison

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); September 18, 2025: At least seven men were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison (Karaj) on Tuesday and Wednesday. Massoud Okhatizadeh, Akbar Emami, Ali Esmaili, Majid Hosseini, Omid Hassanzadeh, Rahman Sarlak and an unidentified Afghan national were all on death row for drug-related offences. Babak Shahbazi is confirmed to have been executed in a group hanging of six at the prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least two men were hanged in Ghezel Hesar Prison on 16 September 2025. Their identities have been established as Massoud Okhatizadeh from Kouhdasht and Akbar Emami from Nourabad in Lorestan. They were both sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

The next day, on 17 September, five other men were executed in a group hanging at the prison. Four of them have been identified as Ali Esmaili, Majid Hosseini from Lorestan, Omid Hassanzadeh and Rahman Sarlak from Kouhdasht. The fifth man, an Afghan national, has not been identified at the time of writing. They were all also on death row for drug-related offences.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Majid Hosseini was arrested six years ago. Omid Hassanzadeh was arrested for 2 kilograms of shisheh (methamphetamines) and one kilogram and 700 grams of heroin. Rahman was arrested for 10 kilograms of narcotics four years ago.”

At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

State media reported the execution of Babak Shahbazi on 17 September. According to newly confirmed information, Babak was executed in a group hanging of six in Ghezel Hesar Prison.

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. At least 426 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first eight months of 2025.

Execution in Mashhad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); September 17, 2025: Sajad Mohajer, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Mashhad Central Prison.

According to Khorasan newspaper, a man was hanged in Mashhad (Vakil Abad) Central Prison on 14 September 2025. Only named as Sajad M, he was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court. However, previous reports by other state media identified him as Sajad Mohajer who was accused of killing another man during a fight in Mashhad’s Omat Park on 2 April 2023.

Execution in Buin Zahra

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); September 16, 2025: Ali Osat Akbari, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Buin Zahra Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Buin Zahra Prison on 21 August 2025. His identity has been established as Ali Osat Akbari, a 50-year-old man from the village of Shakhdar in Qazvin province. He was arrested seven years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Ali Osat Kbari was arrested for murder over a property dispute. He was sentenced to death while the victim and several of his friends had started the premeditated plan, and Ali had only got involved to defend himself.”

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, September 17-18, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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