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

Death Penalty News For a World without the Death Penalty

Comments

Florida | Jury recommends death sentence for Jeffrey Crum in killing of 12-year-old girl

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A Hernando County jury has recommended the death penalty for a 65-year-old man who was found guilty last week of raping and killing 12-year-old Jennifer Odom. Sentencing for Jeffrey Crum was held this week. Crum abducted Odom in 1993 after she stepped off her school bus in Pasco County. Her body was found in a Hernando County orange grove six days later.

Oklahoma Sets November Execution Date for Air Force Veteran Jim Pavatt Amid Claims of Wrongful Conviction

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has scheduled the execution of Air Force veteran and longtime death row prisoner Jim Pavatt for Nov. 12, as his attorneys continue to challenge his conviction and contend that prosecutors relied on false arguments, disputed forensic evidence and an alleged confession they later described as bogus. Pavatt, who served nearly 22 years in the Air Force and rose to the rank of master sergeant, was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2001 killing of Rob Andrew in Oklahoma City. His execution is scheduled for the day after Veterans Day.

Hanging of Osaka Arsonist is Japan’s First Execution Under Takaichi Government

As a majority of the international community has abolished capital punishment. Japan and the U.S. are the only two countries in the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations that put people to death. The execution of Takami Sunao—an arsonist whose 2009 attack in Osaka killed five—on August 21, 2026, was Japan’s first use of capital punishment in just over a year. Over a Decade from Sentencing to Execution Takami Sunao was executed on August 21, 2026 , for a 2009 arson attack at an Osaka pachinko parlor that killed five people. In July 2009, Takami poured gasoline on the floor of a pachinko parlor in Osaka and set it alight, killing 5 customers and staff members and injuring 10 more. While the defense argued that he was in a state of diminished capacity, the Supreme Court finalized his death sentence in February 2016. The execution took place 17 years after the initial crime and 10 and a half years after the death sentence was finalized.

Indiana high court sets Nov. 5 execution date for convicted child killer

The court’s decision came a little more than two months after Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita asked the justices to schedule Weisheit’s execution. State attorneys argued Weisheit had exhausted his state and federal appeals, had no active stay of execution, and could lawfully be put to death. The inmate’s attorneys opposed setting a date, saying they needed more time to pursue available legal proceedings and possible executive clemency. The defense additionally pointed to public records that it said showed the Indiana Department of Correction lacked the drugs needed to conduct an execution and had no lawful source from which to obtain them.

Spared execution eight times, oldest inmate in US dies at 101 after 76 years behind bars

Francis Clifford Smith was given his last meal eight times. But after being spared execution each time, he went on to be regarded as the longest-serving prisoner in the US before dying in June at 101 years old. Convicted of murder in 1950 when he was 25, he always maintained his innocence, those who knew him told the BBC. Andrius Banevicius, the public information officer for Connecticut's Department of Correction, recounted how Smith used to feed the birds while in Osborn Prison, earning him the nickname The Birdman of Osborn.

Israel’s Ben-Gvir posts video of gallows site for hanging Palestinian terrorists

Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has posted a video of the construction of a gallows complex where Palestinians convicted of terror offenses will be hanged. Ben-Givr said the new execution site would be equipped with viewing booths for families of victims to watch the hangings. He posted the video on social media of a visit he had made to the unidentified location, where he can be seen pointing at foundations being laid and saying it was where “terrorists will be executed." Photographs in the Israeli media showed a bulldozer and heavy construction work in a cordoned-off area, reportedly close to a prison.

Japan executes man convicted of killing five in 2009 Osaka pachinko parlor arson

Japan on Friday announced the execution of a man convicted of killing five people after setting fire to an Osaka pachinko parlor in 2009, the first execution by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 's government as the country faces growing calls for more transparency and the abolition of capital punishment. The Justice Ministry said Sunao Takami, 58, was hanged to death earlier Friday. Takami in 2009 set fire to the crowded pachinko parlor in Osaka by spreading gasoline and throwing a lit match, engulfing the building, killing five and injuring 10 others, Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi said.

Cartoons about Capital Punishment

More cartoons about capital punishment HERE

Israel builds execution chamber for Palestinians convicted of murder

In March, the Knesset approved legislation that calls for the execution of Palestinians convicted by a military court of killing Israelis Israeli authorities are preparing a prison wing—replete with an execution chamber—designated specifically for Palestinian prisoners convicted of murder, Israel’s i24NEWS channel reported Tuesday. The move comes after the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) approved legislation in March that calls for the execution of Palestinian prisoners convicted by a military court of murdering Israelis.

Florida executes William Frances Silvia

Florida executed its 13th death row prisoner of the year Tuesday evening amid the state’s aggressive use of the death penalty championed by Governor Ron DeSantis. William Frances Silvia, 61, who was convicted of fatally shooting his estranged wife and injuring his mother-in-law in 2006, was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. after receiving the lethal three-drug injection at Florida State Prison. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Silvia was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm when the curtain to the death chamber went up. He remained relatively motionless with his eyes and mouth open throughout most of the execution while a priest sat at his feet and prayed.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog