Iran | Report on the Execution of 12 Prisoners on Murder and Drug-Related Charges

At dawn today, February 16, the death sentences of 12 prisoners were carried out in the prisons of Quchan, Qaemshahr, Gorgan, Neyshabur, Dorud, Dastgerd Isfahan, Zanjan, Saveh, Kerman, and Kashan.

These prisoners had previously been sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses and murder.

According to information received by HRANA, Khosrow Rafiei was executed in Quchan Prison; Mohammad Rudbari in Qaemshahr Prison; Mola Sheikhi in Neyshabur Prison; Mr. Beigi in Dorud Prison; Ali Mousavi in Dastgerd Isfahan Prison; Sajad Meshkini in Zanjan Prison; and Vahid Barati in Saveh Prison.

These prisoners had previously been arrested on murder charges and sentenced to death by criminal courts.

Meanwhile, the executions of Jamal Hosseini in Gorgan Prison, Kourosh Azizi in Kerman Prison, Reza Hatamzadeh in Kashan Prison, and two prisoners in Dastgerd Isfahan Prison were carried out on charges related to drug offenses.

Further details regarding these executions, including the identification of the 2 prisoners executed in Isfahan, remain under investigation by HRANA.

As of the time of this report, prison officials and the relevant authorities have not officially announced these executions.

According to HRA’s annual report, in 2025, at least 2,063 people were executed in Iran. Based on this report, the implementation of death sentences increased by 119% compared to the year 2024. In many of these executions, due to secrecy and lack of transparency, prisoners were even deprived of the right to a final visit with their families.

Source: hrana.org, Staff, February 17, 2026

"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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