Executions for Security-related Charges in 2025

This is an extract from the 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran.

The security-related charges of moharebeh (enmity against god), efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) and baghy (armed rebellion) have been used to execute countless political and ordinary crime prisoners in the last 47 years. From the bloody decade of the 1980s to present day, Revolutionary Courts around the country have handed down death sentences based on torture-tainted confessions after trials that have been described as kangaroo courts. From protesters to dissidents, armed robbers to spies, human traffickers to terrorists, security-related charges have been used for a wide range of so-called offences to intimidate and create societal fear for decades. In 2025, at least 57 people were executed for security-related charges compared to 31 in 2024, 39 in 2023, 16 in 2022, 13 in 2021, 15 in 2020 and 9 in 2019.

Facts about moharebeh, baghy and efsad-fil-arz executions in 2025

At least 57 men were executed on charges of moharebeh, baghy and efsad-fil-arz
42 of the executions were announced by official sources
18 political prisoners including 6 Arabs, 4 Baluch and 2 Kurdish minorities, were among those executed
13 of those executed were convicted for armed robbery
13 people were executed for alleged espionage for Israel
One person was executed for financial corruption

Political prisoners executed on charges of moharebeh, baghy and efsad-fil-arz

Farhad Shakeri, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij, Abdolrahman Gorgij, Taj Mohammad Khormali and Malek Ali Fadayi Nasab

Left to right: Farhad Shakeri, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij and Abdolrahman Gorgij

Farhad Shakeri, Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij, Abdolrahman Gorgij, Taj Mohammad Khormali and Malek Ali Fadayi Nasab were arrested with six others by intelligence agents in 2015 and were held in solitary confinement in the Intelligence Detention Centre in Mashhad for ten to twelve months. They were sentenced to death by Branch One of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court on charges of baghy through membership of Al-Forghan and the National Solidarity Front of Iranian Sunnis. Three of their co-defendants, Hamid Rastbala, Kabir Saadat-Jahani and Mohammad Ali Arayesh were executed in December 2021.[1] The five men were secretly hanged in Mashhad Central Prison on 8 April 2025. Their families were informed of their executions by telephone.[2]

Hamid Hosseinnejad Haydaranlu

Hamid Hosseinnejad Haydaranlu was a 40-year-old Kurdish political prisoner arrested in 2023. According to the official account, he was arrested by border forces along with several Afghan nationals in the Chaldaoran region where he was from. However, his lawyer stated that he had been arrested at his home. He was initially charged with goods smuggling, which was later changed to involvement in an armed clash at the border where eight border guards were killed. Despite having an alibi, Hamid was subjected to physical torture to make incriminating confessions. According to his lawyer, “Hamid spent 12 months in the solitary confinement cells of the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention centre in Urmia, without access to a lawyer, phone or his family. Hamid is completely illiterate. The interrogation documents were handwritten by the interrogator, and he merely signed them.” He was sentenced to death on charges of baghythrough membership of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the murder of eight border guards by the Urmia Revolutionary Court. His lawyer had filed an Article 474 appeal when Hamid’s execution was carried out secretly at an undisclosed prison on 21 April 2025.[3]

Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani Eslamilu

Behrouz Ehsani Eslamilu, a 70-year-old father of two, was arrested in Tehran in October 2022 and Mehdi Hassani, a 49-year-old father of three, was arrested in Zanjan in September 2022. They were held incommunicado and subjected to psychological and physical torture to extract self-incriminating confessions. In September 2024, Mehdi and Behrouz were sentenced to death on charges of baghy through membership of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari.[4] Four subsequent appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court and according to Mehdi’s lawyer, they were executed while their fifth appeal was still pending a decision. According to the lawyer, he was never granted access to the case file and the appeal arguments were never looked at by the Supreme Court.[5] Despite all efforts by Mehdi’s daughter, Maryam, and the international community,[6] Behrouz and Mehdi were secretly hanged in Ghezelhesar prison on 27 July 2025. On Mehdi’s transfer from Evin to Ghezelesar Prison in January 2025,[7] one of Mehdi’s former cellmates later told IHRNGO: “Because Mehdi knew they were trying to send him to Ghezelhesar for execution, he wasn’t even going to family visits just in case. He was drugged by another prisoner a week prior and was intoxicated when he was transferred to Ghezelhesar Prison.”

Ali Mojadam, Mohammadreza Moghadam, Adnan Ghabishavi, Moein Khanfari, Habib Deris and Salem Mousavi

Ali Mojadam, 42, Mohammadreza Moghadam, 33, Adnan Ghabishavi, 28, Moein Khanfari, 32, Habib Deris, 42, and Salem Mousavi, 41, were six Arab labourers and farmers. They were arrested in Ahvaz. They were subjected to torture and ill-treatment to make self-incriminating confessions to participation in a terrorist attack which were aired by state media prior to the commencement of legal proceedings. Ali and Mohammadreza were introduced as “leaders of the group’s domestic branch” and all six men were sentenced to death on charges of baghy through “membership of a baghi group, the armed branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA) with the aim of armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic system” by the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court on 24 February 2023.[8] They were defendants in the case as Swedish-Iranian Arab dissident Habib Asyoud (Chaab) who was kidnapped from Turkey and executed on 6 May 2023.[9] After holding a ceremony for Habib, the six political prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement on 7 May. On 16 October 2024, Ali, Moein, Moammadreza and Adnan were transferred to the pre-execution solitary confinement cells of Ahvaz Sepidar Prison.[10] Ali, Moein and Mohammadreza were transferred to the cells again on 26 June 2025[11] and ultimately hanged in Ahvaz Sepidar Prison on 4 October 2025.[12]

Espionage defendants executed in 2025

Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh

Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh, 26, was arrested in the Autumn of 2023. Under torture, he confessed to collaborating with Israel which was used as the basis to charge him with multiple offences including “insulting Islamic sanctities.” He was sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by “death judge” Salavati after a hasty trial. An empty handgun magazine" and "a pepper spray can" have been used as evidence of illegal possession of weapons to prove "collaboration with the enemy."[1] He was hanged in Ghezelhesar Prison on 23 June 2025.[2]

Edris Ali, Azad Shojaei and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul

Edris Ali, a 33-year-old Kurdish kolbar (“human mules” who carry goods on their backs across the border), Azad Shojai, a 46-year-old Kurdish kolbar, and Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul, a Kurdish-Iraqi, were arrested for smuggling alcoholic beverages. They were subjected to torture to confess to collaborating with Israel. An informed source told IHRNGO: “In Urmia MOIS detention, Edris was told that he was carrying alcohol and would be released but he’d have to repeat what they said first. Edris repeated everything they said in front of the camera, he said he was carrying documents in his alcohol load that he was to give to Israel.” Edris was held in the political ward, while Azad and Rasoul were held in the ordinary crimes ward. They were denied access to lawyers and sentenced to death on charges of efsad-fil-arz and moharebeh through espionage for Israel by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Reza Najafzadeh.[3] Edris, Azad and Rasoul were hanged in Urmia (Darya) Central Prison on 25 June 2025.

[1] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/7196/

[2] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/7680/

[3] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6753/

[1] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/4562/

[2] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/7451/

[3] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/7486/

[4] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6933/

[5] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/6933/

[6] See for example: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-10-2025-0062_EN.pdf and https://x.com/UN_SPExperts/status/1894337492200947932?s=20

[7] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/7303/

[8] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5796/

[9] https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5874/