Iran | Young Man at Risk of Execution for Espionage for Israel, Mossad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 21 May 2026: Gholamreza Khani Shekarab, a man on death row for accusations of espionage for Israel, is at risk of execution after being transferred to the solitary confinement cells of Ghezel Hesar Prison from Evin Prison.

According to information obtained by IHRNGO, Gholamreza Khani Shekarab was transferred from Evin Prison to the solitary confinement cells of Ghezel Hesar Prison on 7 May 2026.

Given that prisoners are typically transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison for execution, the transfer has raised grave concerns that his execution may be imminent.

Following his arrest on 24 September 2025, Gholamreza was prosecuted by Branch 1 of the Security Prosecutor's Office (33 Moghadas). Charged with “collaboration with the Zionist regime and specifically the Mossad intelligence agency,” he was ultimately sentenced to death.

At least eleven people have been executed for espionage charges in 2026. Nine were accused of espionage for Israel and the United States, and two Iraqi nationals were accused of espionage for an unknown Arab country.

According to IHRNGO’s 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, at least 13 people were executed for charges related to espionage for Israel. The surge began in the lead-up to the Twelve-Day War in June 2025; two people were executed prior to the war, three during the war and the remainder were executed after the war.

It is important to note that in some cases, the defendants were not originally arrested for espionage charges. They were coerced and tortured into making self-incriminating confessions that were later used as the basis of their sentences.

In 2026, nine of the executions for espionage have been carried out since the 40-day war began.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, May 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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