Iran | Executions in Gorgan, Tabriz, Shiraz

Iranian authorities have executed a prisoner identified as Saber Akrami in Gorgan Central Prison. He had previously been sentenced to death on a conviction of premeditated murder.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out at dawn on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Akrami, 54, was the father of four children.

Sources told Hengaw that Akrami owned a local grocery store in Gorgan. Approximately three years ago, he was arrested in connection with the killing of a man in what sources described as a case linked to so-called “honor-related” motives. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary.

Iranian state media and judiciary-affiliated outlets have not announced or reported the execution of Saber Akrami.

Execution in Tabriz

Iranian authorities executed a young woman identified as Afsaneh Zendabadi in Tabriz Central Prison in late May 2026. She had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution of Afsaneh Zendabadi, a 22-year-old Turkish woman from Tabriz, was carried out at dawn on Monday, May 18, 2026, in Tabriz Central Prison.

Sources told Hengaw that Zendabadi was arrested in 2023 when she was only 19 years old and was subsequently sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court on charges related to drug trafficking and possession.

According to information published by the Iran Human Rights Organization, Zendabadi consistently stated throughout her interrogations, investigation proceedings and trial that she had been subjected from childhood to grooming, repeated abuse, threats and sexual violence by her stepfather. She reportedly told judicial authorities that she had been coerced by him into involvement in drug trafficking and transportation activities. (Read more here)

Despite these claims, Iranian security and judicial authorities proceeded with her prosecution and execution without taking into account her alleged victimization and vulnerability. According to the report, her stepfather, the individual she identified as responsible for the abuse and coercion, has not faced any known legal consequences or prosecution.

Execution in Shiraz

Iranian authorities have executed a prisoner identified as Daryoush Kaleko in Shiraz Central Prison (Adelabad Prison). He had previously been sentenced to death on a murder conviction.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out at dawn on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Shiraz Central Prison.

Sources told Hengaw that Kaleko, a resident of Shiraz, had been arrested and subsequently sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary on charges of “premeditated murder.”

Iranian state media and judiciary-affiliated outlets have not announced or reported the execution.

Source: hengaw.net, Staff, June 5, 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

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