Iran | Executions in Gorgan, Shahrud, Damghan, Karaj, Isfahan

Iranian authorities have executed Ezzat Kazemzadeh, a 33-year-old athlete from Gorgan, at Gorgan Central Prison following his conviction for "premeditated murder."

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Kazemzadeh was executed at dawn on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, after being sentenced to death (qisas) by the Islamic Republic's judiciary.

Kazemzadeh had been imprisoned for the past four years after being arrested in connection with a street altercation stemming from what was described as an "honor-related" dispute. He was subsequently sentenced to qisas (retribution in kind).

Iranian state media and judiciary-affiliated outlets had not announced the execution.

Execution in Shahrud

Iranian authorities have secretly executed Arvin Kheirkhahan, a 20-year-old man arrested during the January 2026 protests, at Shahrud Central Prison in Semnan province without notifying his family in advance.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out at dawn on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Prison authorities have refused to immediately release his body to the family.

Following his arrest during the January protests, Kheirkhahan was sentenced to death by Branch One of the Shahrud Revolutionary Court on the charge of moharebeh (waging war against God). The sentence was upheld on appeal and later by Iran's Supreme Court.

Judicial and prison authorities have withheld Kheirkhahan's body, instructing his family to return at dawn on Sunday to collect it. They also ordered that the burial take place at exactly 5:00 a.m. under heavy security measures.

Because of the secrecy surrounding the execution and the lack of judicial transparency, Hengaw has not yet been able to verify the exact date of Kheirkhahan's arrest, the specific acts underlying the moharebeh charge, details of his interrogations, or the extent of his access to a lawyer of his choosing.

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

Executions in Damghan

Iranian authorities executed at least two Baloch prisoners, Mohammadali Narouei, 50, and Mohammadbakhsh Shahbakhsh, 42, in Damghan Central Prison after they were sentenced to death in a joint case on drug-related charges.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the executions were carried out at dawn on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Narouei was from Zabol and Shahbakhsh from Zahedan.

The two prisoners had been transferred to solitary confinement in Damghan Prison on Thursday, July 30, ahead of their executions, and were allowed a final visit with their families on Friday evening.

They were arrested in Damghan County in 2022 in a joint case on drug-related charges and were subsequently sentenced to death by the Damghan Revolutionary Court.

Execution in Karaj

Iranian authorities executed Alijan Garavand, a prisoner from Kuhdasht, after 17 years on death row in Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out at dawn on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Garavand was a Kurd from the village of Qebleh in Kuhdasht County.

He spent 17 years in prison after being arrested on charges of "premeditated murder" and sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary.

Iranian state media and judiciary-affiliated media have not announced his execution.

Executions in Isfahan

Iranian authorities executed Amirali Soleimani, 31, and Mokhtar Alizadeh, 29, two prisoners from Qom, at Isfahan Central Prison, also known as Dastgerd Prison. The two men had been sentenced to death for premeditated murder.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the executions were carried out at dawn on July 28, 2026, at Isfahan Central Prison.

Sources familiar with the case said Soleimani and Alizadeh were arrested about three years ago following a fatal altercation linked to a theft in Isfahan. They were tried in a joint case and sentenced to death under Iran’s qisas (retributive justice) laws. Their executions were carried out after the victim’s family declined to grant a pardon.

Iranian state media and judicial authorities have not publicly announced the executions.

Source: Hengaw, Staff, July 31, August 1, 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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