Kian Manouchehri Hanged for Murder in Yazd

According to information obtained by IHRNGO, a man was hanged in Yazd Central Prison on 18 January 2026. His identity has been established Kian Manouchehri, a 22-year-old Ardakan native arrested three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Kian was arrested for the murder of a taxi driver when he was 19. During the proceedings, he said the driver had attempted to sexually assault him and that he had killed him in self-defence. Kian, who was transferred from Ardakan Prison to Yazd Central Prison for the execution, stated at his second trial that he was not the killer and that his cousin, who had been present at the scene, had killed the man with a blow from a stone. His cousin denied this, however, and the court, citing the evidence, sentenced Kian to qisas. In his final days, he also told cellmates that he was innocent and had not committed the murder.”

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.

Crucially, while an indicative diya amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money. Should the victim’s family choose execution, they are not only encouraged to attend, but also to physically carry out the execution themselves.

According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 419 people including a juvenile offender and 19 women, were executed for murder charges, the highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 12% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2024, Iran Human Rights also recorded 649 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions. At least 641 people were executed for murder charges in the first eleven months of 2025.