At least 80 prisoners executed in Iranian prisons during May 2026, including 17 political prisoners

At least 80 prisoners, including 17 political prisoners, were executed in prisons across Iran during May 2026, according to data compiled by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. The figure represents a decrease of 83 executions, or approximately 51%, compared with the same month in 2025, when at least 163 executions were recorded.

Hengaw has verified the identities of 76 of those executed, while the identities of four others remain under investigation.

Among those executed was a woman, Esma Zarei, a 28-year-old from Parsabad, who was executed in Ardabil Central Prison after being convicted of murder.

Of the 80 executions recorded during the month, only 15 cases, approximately 19%, were officially announced by Iranian state media or judiciary-affiliated outlets. In addition, at least 19 prisoners were executed in secret, without prior notification to their families or the opportunity for a final visit.

Execution of 17 political prisoners

During May, at least 17 political prisoners, including four Kurdish political prisoners and two foreign nationals, were executed on charges including moharebeh (“Waging war against God”) and espionage for Israel.

The executions included:

1. Naser Bakrzadeh, a 26-year-old Kurdish prisoner from Urmia, executed on May 2 in Urmia Central Prison on charges of espionage for Israel.
2. Yaghoub Karimpour, a Turk from Miandoab and a follower of the Yarsan religion, executed on May 2 in Urmia Central Prison on charges of espionage for Israel.
3. Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a Kurdish prisoner from Urmia and a detainee from the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, executed on May 3 in Urmia Central Prison.
4. Ebrahim Dolatabadi from Mashhad, arrested during the January protests, executed on May 3 in Mashhad Central Prison.
5. Mehdi Rasouli from Kashmar, arrested during the January protests, executed on May 3 in Mashhad Central Prison.
6. Mohammadreza Miri from Mashhad, arrested during the January protests, executed on May 3 in Mashhad Central Prison.
7. Erfan Shakourzad, a university student from Tehran, executed on May 11 in Ghezel Hesar Prison.
8. Abduljalil Shahbakhsh, a Baloch prisoner from Taftan, executed on May 12 in Zahedan Central Prison.
9. Ehsan Afreshteh from Isfahan, executed on May 13 in Ghezel Hesar Prison on espionage charges.
10. Mohammad Abbasi from Malard, Tehran province, and a January protest detainee, executed on May 13 in Ghezel Hesar Prison.
11. Ramin Zaleh, a Kurdish political prisoner from Naqadeh, executed on May 21 in Naqadeh Central Prison after being convicted of "moharebeh through membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI)."
12. Karim Maroufpour, a Kurdish political prisoner from Naqadeh, executed on May 21 in Naqadeh Central Prison on the same charge.
13. Mojtaba Kian, executed on May 24 in Ghezel Hesar Prison on charges of espionage for Israel.
14. Akbar Moradi Feyzabadi from Naein, Isfahan province, and a detainee from the January protests, executed on May 25 in Isfahan Central Prison.
15. Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, a Turk from Ardabil, executed on May 26 in Ghezel Hesar Prison on charges of espionage for Israel.

Hengaw also confirmed that two prisoners executed in April were publicly reported for the first time in May:

16. Ali Nader Al-Obeidi, an Iraqi national, executed on April 4, 2026, in Ghezel Hesar Prison on charges of espionage for Arab Gulf states.
17. Fazel Sheikh Karim, an Iraqi national, executed on April 4, 2026, in Ghezel Hesar Prison on similar charges.

Executions by charge

According to Hengaw’s findings, prisoners convicted of murder accounted for the largest category of executions during May, with 36 cases representing 45% of all recorded executions.

Murder: 36 executions
Drug-related offenses: 26 executions
Political and espionage-related charges: 17 executions
Rape: 1 execution

Executions by ethnic/national background

Among those executed during May:

• Persian prisoners: 26 cases (32.5%)
• Kurdish prisoners: 17 cases
• Baloch prisoners: 12 cases
• Turkish prisoners: 8 cases
• Gilak and Mazani prisoners: 4 cases
• Lor prisoners: 2 cases
• Iraqi nationals: 2 cases
• Afghan nationals: 2 cases
• Nationality not confirmed: 7 cases

Executions by province

Fars Province recorded the highest number of executions during May, with 14 cases.

The provincial breakdown is as follows:

• Fars Province: 14 executions
• West Azerbaijan Province (Urmia) and Isfahan Province: 11 executions each
• Alborz Province: 9 executions
• Razavi Khorasan Province: 8 executions
• Kermanshah Province: 4 executions
• Gilan and Kerman provinces: 3 executions each
• Qom, Qazvin, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Ardabil provinces: 2 executions each
• Kurdistan (Sanandaj), Mazandaran, Hamedan, Markazi, Golestan, Zanjan and East Azerbaijan provinces: 1 execution each

Source: Hengaw, Staff, June 4, 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

Iran: Flogging still a common practice

Flogging of Sufis in Gonabad: Fourteen Ne’matollahi dervishes received 25 lashes each for allegedly disturbing the public security "The lash ruling against 14 Ne'matollahi dervishes of Gonabad was carried out. They were residents of Baydokht and had been arrested and condemned by the Public Prosecutor of Gonabad after a protest against the illegal treatment dealing with the Sufis in June of last year [2010]. According to the website of Majzuban-e-Nur, Mr. Sa'id Kashani, Mr. Amir Roshan-Mojaver-Sufi, Mr. Alimohammad Amanian, Mr. Ruhollah Safari, Mr. Ali Abbasi-Baydokhti, Mr. Ebrahim Abbaszadeh, Mr. Mohammadali Ja'fari, Mr. Hossein Mahdavi, Mr. Hossein Abbaszadeh-Baydokhti, Mr. Rahmat Hosseini, Mr. Reza Kakhki, Mr. Behruz Mojaver-Sufi, Mr. Ali Mir, and Mr. Hassan Baluchi-Baydokhti are the fourteen dervishes whose requests were not only rejected, but who were condemned to 25 lashes for disturbing the public security. It should be mentioned that Ruhollah Safari, the ...

Japan’s Internet Wants Uchida Riko Executed. Here’s Why That Won’t Happen

This week, the prosecution in the case of a murder of a 17-year-old girl in Hokkaido came out with its sentencing recommendation. Japanese social media reacted by clamoring for the accused woman’s blood. But, while the facts of the case are heinous, the prosecutor’s decision not to seek the death penalty is grounded in long-standing precedent. Murdered for looking at the accused wrong Uchida Riko (内田梨瑚), 23, and her friends stand accused of murdering 17-year-old Murayama Runa (村山瑠奈) in Hokkaido’s Asahikawa. Prosecutors say the dispute began after Murayama posted a photo of Uchida to social media. They say Uchida’s group abducted the girl, made her undress, and then forced her to jump from a bridge.

US | Conservative federal judge says death penalty for child sex crimes may be legal

June 24 (Reuters) - A conservative federal judge on Wednesday took the position that despite a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring the death penalty for child rape, prosecutors today may be free to seek capital punishment in cases involving sexual offenses against children. St. Louis-based U.S. District Judge Joshua Divine, who was appointed to the bench only last year by Republican President Donald Trump, delivered his views in an unusual ‌court opinion issued on the same day he was set to sentence a Missouri man who faced a maximum prison term of 20 years.

Two men executed with AK-47 for raping and murdering boy, 12, in Yemen as children watch on

“Public execution is an even more grotesque violation of human rights, particularly in a country where the ability of the accused to obtain adequate legal representation and the coverage of the process is highly limited.” -- Human Rights Watch director Sarah Leah Whitson TWO pedophiles have been executed with AK-47s in front of a bloodthirsty crowd for raping and murdering a 12-year-old boy in Yemen. Chilling images show Wadah Refat and Mohamed Khaled being marched at gunpoint through the port city of Aden. Yemen is one of the few countries in the world where capital punishment is legal, and even children were in attendance to watch the gruesome event. Refat, 28, and Khaled, 31, were condemned for the abduction, rape, and murder of a young boy who was snatched after playing next to the house of one of the men. The pair reportedly dragged him into their home and raped him. When sentencing the pair, The Daily Star reported that the judge said, "After ...

Might Ohio use electric chair again?

Electric chair at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility The difficulty of obtaining drugs for executions has some Ohio legislators talking about alternatives, including the electric chair. "There are other options," said Rep. Jim Buchy, R-Greenville, a co-sponsor of legislation to keep the supplier of execution drugs secret. "Rope is cheap," said state Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati. No one is seriously suggesting - at least not yet - taking "Old Sparky," Ohio's electric chair, out of retirement, or returning to hanging, which the state abandoned in 1897. But Ohio's problem with lethal-injection drugs is coming to a head: The scheduled Feb. 15 execution of Ronald Phillips is 90 days away. Legislators are rushing to pass House Bill 663 before the lame-duck legislative session ends on Dec. 31 so that the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction can obtain drugs it needs at least a month before the execution. The legisla...

Kansas AG urges governor to deny clemency to 8 sentenced to death

TOPEKA — Attorney General Kris Kobach on Tuesday urged the governor to deny clemency to Kansas inmates who have been sentenced to death. Eight of nine people sentenced to death in Kansas formally filed clemency requests in May, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office. Kobach urged Gov. Laura Kelly to reject them.

Kuwait executes five convicted murderers after death sentences upheld by highest courts

Dubai: Kuwait has executed five men convicted of murder and other serious crimes after their death sentences were upheld by the country's highest courts and ratified by the Emir, the Public Prosecution said. The executions were carried out by hanging at the Central Prison after all legal procedures had been completed, according to a statement carried by local media. The public prosecution said the convicts had been granted all constitutional guarantees, including the right to defense and appeal throughout the investigation and trial process.

New Mississippi billboard warns criminals: ‘Firing squad is legal’

DESOTO COUNTY, Miss. (WREG) — A billboard standing on Interstate 55 southbound as you cross the Tennessee state line and enter Mississippi from Memphis is sending a grim message to those coming into the state. DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton recently announced the new billboard campaign, which features the sign reading, “WELCOME TO MISSISSIPPI. WHERE THE FIRING SQUAD IS LEGAL. THINK TWICE.” It references Mississippi’s law permitting execution by firing squad under certain circumstances for inmates sentenced to death. Barton says this campaign is aimed at deterring violent crime and sends a direct message to criminals entering Mississippi.

I watched Ohio's last execution. Here's what it was like

As Gov. DeWine calls for Ohio to end capital punishment, the state’s last execution remains the one I witnessed in 2018 Inside Ohio's death house, there is a room for executions and separate witness rooms: one for those connected to the victim and another for those connected to the inmate. Windows separate the death chamber from those watching, the condemned from the living. I was there on July 18, 2018 – during Ohio’s most recent execution. Robert Van Hook was put to death that day for killing David Self in 1985. He sat on death row for three decades. I was one of three media witnesses to the execution.

20 Minutes to Death: Witness to the Last Execution in France

The following document is a firsthand account of the final moments of Hamida Djandoubi, a convicted murderer executed by guillotine at Marseille’s Baumettes Prison on September 10, 1977. The record—dated September 9—was written by Monique Mabelly, a judge appointed by the state to witness the proceedings. Djandoubi’s execution would ultimately be the last carried out in France before capital punishment was abolished in 1981. At the time, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing—who had publicly voiced his "deep aversion to the death penalty" prior to his election—rejected Djandoubi’s appeal for clemency. Choosing to let "justice take its course," the President allowed the execution to proceed, just as he had in two previous cases during his term: Christian Ranucci , executed on July 28, 1976 and Jérôme Carrein , executed on June 23, 1977. Hamida Djandoubi , a Tunisian national, was sentenced to death for killing his former lover, Elisabeth Bousquet. He was execu...

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog