Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); June 8, 2025: Ali Kheradmand, Sajad Nabizadeh, Yasin Aghayi, Ahmadollah Esmaili and three unidentified men were executed for murder and rape charges in Ghezelhesar Prison between 1-4 June.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least one man was executed in Ghezelhesar Prison on 4th June 2025. His identity has been established as Ahmadollah Esmaili, a 31-year-old Afghan man from Faryab province. He was arrested ten years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.
On 2nd June, three men were hanged at the prison. Their identities have been established as 31-year-old Ali Kheradmand, Sajad Nabizadeh and Yasin Aghayi. They were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for separate murders.
IHRNGO previously reported the executions of Ghorban Ali Karaminasr, Alireza Shahbazi and Ali Abbas Moghadam, bringing the total number of executions at the prison to six that day.
At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Javan newspaper also reported the executions of three other men at the prison on 1st June. An Afghan man whose identity has only been reported as Shokrollah, was executed for “rape and murder” charges after spending 12 years on death row. Another man only named as Behrad and an unidentified were executed for murder charges.
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 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.
In the first five months of 2025, at least 233 people were executed for murder charges in Iran, per IHRNGO data.
On 4 June 2025, IHRNGO and 83 international and Iranian organisations and groups issued a joint statement calling for action to stop the execution of Afghan nationals in Iran.