Iran | Executions in Sari, Karaj, Shiraz, Torbat-e Heydarieh

Iranian authorities executed a prisoner from Sari identified as Yahya Sobhani, who had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges, earlier this month in Sari Central Prison.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution of 44-year-old Yahya Sobhani was carried out in Sari Central Prison at dawn on Sunday, May 3, 2026.

Sobhani, a resident of Sari, was married and the father of two children. He had been arrested approximately two years ago by Iranian authorities on charges related to the transportation and possession of narcotics and was later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Sari.

The execution of Yahya Sobhani has not been officially announced by Iranian state media or judiciary-affiliated institutions.

Execution in Karaj

Iranian authorities have executed Bahman Farzaneh, who had been convicted of murdering Elaha Hosseinnejad, a 24-year-old woman from Eslamshahr, after the death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, according to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

The judiciary’s media center (Mizan News Agency) reported the execution of 45-year-old Bahman Farzaneh. The official judiciary report did not specify the exact date or location of the execution. However, Hengaw has learned that the sentence was carried out on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

The court hearing in this case was held on July 28, 2025, before a special branch of Criminal Court No. 1 of Tehran province.

The court sentenced Bahman Farzaneh to death on charges including the “murder of Elaha Hosseinnejad by stabbing,” “concealing the body,” and “intentional destruction of property, including two mobile phones, a handbag and identity documents.” The ruling was later fully upheld by the Supreme Court.

Elaha Hosseinnejad, a 24-year-old resident of Eslamshahr, was killed on May 25, 2025, after getting into a passing vehicle in Tehran’s Azadi Square. According to reports, the driver, identified as the defendant in the case, attacked her with a knife with the motive of robbery and assault, and later concealed her body on the outskirts of the city.

Number of prisoners executed in Shiraz prison rises to three

With the identification of two additional prisoners, Alireza Mirzazadeh and Hojat Mahmoudian, the number of prisoners executed on Sunday in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz has risen to three. Hengaw had previously reported the execution of Saeed Rahmani-Rad.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in addition to the execution of Saeed Rahmani-Rad, two other prisoners identified as Alireza Mirzazadeh, 35, and Hojat Mahmoudian, 24, both from Kazerun in Fars province, were executed in Shiraz Central Prison (Adelabad Prison) at dawn on Sunday, May 17, 2026.

Sources told Hengaw that Alireza Mirzazadeh had been arrested four years ago on charges of killing his wife following family disputes and was later sentenced to death.

Hojat Mahmoudian had also been arrested approximately two years ago after a fatal altercation with a friend and was subsequently sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary.

Hengaw had previously reported the execution of Saeed Rahmani-Rad, a 30-year-old prisoner from Shiraz, who was executed on the same day on the same charge. (See below)

Iranian state media and official judiciary-affiliated outlets have not announced the executions of these three prisoners from Kazerun and Shiraz.

Execution in Torbat-e Heydarieh

The death sentence of a Kurdish prisoner from Sabzevar in Razavi Khorasan Province, identified as Ebrahim Farhadi Topkanlou, was carried out at Torbat-e Heydarieh Central Prison. He had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

Based on a report received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution of 48-year-old Ebrahim Farhadi Topkanlou was carried out at dawn on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at Torbat-e Heydarieh Central Prison in Razavi Khorasan Province. He had previously been convicted on charges related to drug offenses.

Farhadi Topkanlou was married and the father of three children. His execution was carried out while his case was still under appeal.

According to informed sources, Ebrahim Farhadi Topkanlou had previously been arrested on charges of transporting and possessing narcotics and was later sentenced to death by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Sabzevar, headed by Judge Mohammad Gholami. He had recently been transferred from Sabzevar Central Prison to Torbat-e Heydarieh Prison.

The execution has not been announced by Iranian state media or judiciary-affiliated outlets.

Execution in Shiraz

Iranian authorities executed a prisoner from Shiraz identified as Saeid Rahmanirad, who had previously been sentenced to death on charges of premeditated murder by the Iranian judiciary, at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out at dawn on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at Shiraz Central Prison, commonly known as Adelabad Prison. Rahmanirad, 30, had been convicted of “premeditated murder” by the Iranian judiciary.

Informed sources stated that Rahmanirad was arrested four years ago following a street altercation that resulted in a fatality. He was later sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) by the Iranian judiciary.

The execution has not been publicly announced by Iranian state media or official institutions, including the judiciary.

Source: hengaw.net, Staff, May 19-21, 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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