Gilak political prisoner Karim Khojasteh sentenced to death

Hengaw — Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Iran’s judiciary has sentenced Gilak political prisoner Karim Khojasteh from Khomam to death on the charge of "rebellion" (baghi). He is a former political prisoner from the 1980s and is currently held in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Khojasteh, a 62-year-old political prisoner from Khomam in Gilan Province, received the death sentence after months of uncertainty in Lakan Prison. The ruling was issued without any transparent evidence presented to substantiate the accusations.

A hearing on his case was held around three months ago, and the verdict was formally communicated to him on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

Khojasteh had been accused of "rebellion" and “propaganda against the state,” yet no documentation has been provided to clarify the basis of these charges.

In recent months, he has been held in the Misagh Ward of Lakan Prison, where he has been denied basic rights, including access to his chosen lawyer.

Khojasteh was arrested at his workplace by Intelligence Department agents on March 13, 2025, without a judicial warrant, and was subsequently transferred to Lakan Prison.

He had previously been arrested on July 20, 2024, on the charge of “propaganda against the state.” After spending four and a half months in detention, he was released on bail of 500 million tomans on December 9 of that year.