Executions and exile follow armed raid on Ghezel Hesar’s political prisoners
Hengaw – Sunday, July 27, 2025
Security forces have violently stormed Ward 4 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, which holds political prisoners, leading to the execution of two inmates, the exile of another, and the forced transfer of the rest to unknown locations. The raid, conducted on Saturday, July 26, represents a grave escalation in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ongoing crackdown on political dissent, even within its prison system.
According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, more than 100 heavily armed members of the Special Prison Guard Unit, acting on the orders of Allah-Karam Azizi and Hassan Ghobadi, the prison's deputy warden, along with agents from the Ministry of Intelligence, launched the operation. The assault was led by Hossein Kamrei, head of security, and supported by Rahim Feyzi, Ahmad Shirazi, Mohammad Sabzeh Makan, and a prison officer known as Fallah. These individuals actively participated in the coordinated attack.
All political prisoners in the ward were subjected to beatings before being handcuffed, shackled, and blindfolded. They were then dragged into solitary confinement in an aggressive and dehumanizing manner.
Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, who were among those placed in isolation, were executed early Sunday morning, July 27. Meanwhile, Saeed Masouri—a political prisoner from Khorramabad who is serving a life sentence and is now in his 26th year of incarceration—was forcibly transferred to Zahedan Central Prison.
The condition and whereabouts of the remaining political prisoners from Ward 4 remain unknown. Since the evening of Friday, July 25, all communication with their families has been severed. No phone calls have been made, and their current status is completely obscured.
Evidence suggests that all detainees from the ward have been transferred to undisclosed locations, raising grave concerns about their safety, access to legal counsel, and basic rights.
This coordinated and violent operation marks a new phase in the state’s policy of suppressing dissent, not only in the public sphere but also deep within the prison system.
Hengaw calls for immediate accountability from Iranian authorities, urgent transparency regarding the condition and location of the detainees, and swift intervention by international human rights bodies to prevent further violations.
