Iran | Executions in Aligudarz, Dezful, Khorramabad, Tabriz, Karaj

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 19, 2025: Jafar Hedayati, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Aligudarz Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Aligudarz Prison on 17 December 2025. His identity has been established as 30-year-old Jafar Hedayati. He was arrested around five years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

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

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 diya 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. At least 641 people were executed for murder charges in the first eleven months of 2025.

Execution in Dezful

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 19, 2025: Arsalan Arab, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Dezful Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Dezful Prison on 16 December 2025. His identity has been established as Arsalan Arab, a 32-year-old man from Dezful. He was arrested for allegedly killing another man during a street fight around five years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

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

Execution in Khorramabad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 18, 2025: Mansour Ghane, an Ahvazi Arab man on death row for murder, was executed in Ahvazi Sepidar Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Khorramabad Central Prison on 14 December 2025. His identity has been established as Mansour Ghane, a 30-year-old Ahvazi Arab man from Ahvaz. He was arrested around five years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

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

Execution in Tabriz

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 18, 2025: Alireza Soltani and Naser Ayoubi, two men on death row for separate murders, were executed in Tabriz Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Tabriz Central Prison on 17 December 2025. Their identities have been established as 49-year-old Alireza Soltani from Tabriz and 28-year-old Naser Ayoubi from Hashtroud.

Informed sources told IHRNGO that Alireza was arrested for the murder of his cousin ten years ago, and Naser was arrested for an “honour killing” around four years ago. They were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

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

Executions in Karaj

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 18, 2025: Razieh Abbasi, Hassan Farahani and an unidentified man were executed for separate murders in Ghezel Hesar Prison.

According to Hamshahri newspaper, a woman and two men were hanged in Ghezel Hesar Prison on 17 December 2025. The unnamed defendants were all sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for separate murders.

IHRNGO has established the identities of the woman and one of the men as Razieh Abbasi and Hassan Farahani. The third man has not been identified at the time of writing. According to the Hamshahri report, Razieh was accused of killing her husband with the help of another man in the Autumn of 2021. The unidentified man was accused of killing a Namjoo police station officer in September 2022, and Hassan Farahani was accused of killing another individual in February 2021 over debts he was unable to pay back.

Razieh Abbasi is the 44th woman execution recorded in 2025 and the 31st to be hanged for murder charges. This is the highest number of women executions recorded in Iran in more than two decades. Iran executes the highest number of recorded women executions globally.

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.

Execution in Khorramabad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 17, 2025: Yavar Farhadi, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Khorramabad Central Prison on 7 December 2025. His identity has been established as Yavar Farhadi, a father of one from Aligudarz. He was arrested around five years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

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

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, December 17-19, 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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