Exclusive to Hengaw – secret execution of Kurdish prisoner Najib Azarm before court hearing

Hengaw– Thursday, September 11, 2025

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has obtained documents confirming that the death sentence of Najib Azarm, a Kurdish prisoner from Urmia, was carried out while his case was still pending. He was executed in secret at Tabriz Central Prison without prior notice to his family and before his scheduled trial on November 3, 2025.

The documents indicate that Azarm, from Kalankani Targor village in Urmia, was executed despite the fact that judicial reviews of disputed elements in his case had not been completed. His execution prior to the conclusion of legal proceedings constitutes a violation of fair trial guarantees.

According to entries in the “Sana” judicial system, a court order relating to oversight procedures had been issued on July 12, 2025. On the same date, a further review of the case was scheduled for November 3, 2025, due to unresolved issues. Despite this, Azarm was executed in secret before the trial could take place.

At dawn on September 7, 2025, his execution was carried out along with four other Kurdish prisoners at Tabriz Central Prison. The executions were conducted without prior notification and without granting the prisoners a final visit with their families.

Najib Azarm had previously been arrested on charges related to drug offenses.

Executing a prisoner before trial and without completing judicial proceedings constitutes a flagrant violation of due process and the right to defense, and undermines the most basic principles of international human rights law.