Iran executes 13 prisoners in multiple prisons
Hengaw - Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Thirteen prisoners sentenced to death by Iran’s judiciary on charges including premeditated murder, rape, and drug-related offenses have been executed in the prisons of Sari, Tabriz, Isfahan, Qom, and Shiraz. Those executed have been identified as Mostafa Hemmati, Abbas Sharifi, Mohammad Attari, Moharram Sarchami, Khodadad Mozaffari, Ali Bahman, Hamid Jahangiri, Khosrow Alishahi, Saeed Partovi, Ali Partovi, Arash Shamsi, Nasser Mirzaei, and Sohrab Imani.
According to information obtained by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, two Gilak prisoners were executed at Sari Central Prison in the early hours of January 13, 2026. Mostafa Hemmati, 47, from Langarud, and Abbas Sharifi, 42, from Sari, had been imprisoned for approximately three and two years, respectively, on drug-related charges before being sentenced to death.
Executions were also carried out at Tabriz Central Prison on the same day, where Seyed Mohammad Attari, 37, and Moharram Sarchami, 59, a father of four, were put to death. Both had been convicted of premeditated murder. Attari had been detained for nearly five years, while Sarchami had spent seven years in prison for the killing of his brother-in-law.
Three further executions took place at Isfahan Central Prison (Dastgerd) on January 6, 2026. The prisoners were Khodadad Mozaffari, 33, from Taybad; Ali Bahman from Isfahan; and Hamid Jahangiri, 24, from Najafabad, Isfahan Province. Mozaffari had been convicted of drug-related offenses, Bahman of rape, and Jahangiri of premeditated murder during a physical altercation. Each had been held in detention for around three years.
At Qom Central Prison, Khosrow Alishahi, 25, from Tehran’s Azari neighborhood, was executed on January 4, 2026, after spending three years in custody on charges of premeditated murder stemming from a group altercation.
The executions continued at Shiraz Central Prison (Adelabad) on December 30, 2025, where five prisoners were put to death. They were identified as Saeed Partovi, 24; Ali Partovi; Arash Shamsi, 28, from Fasa; Nasser Mirzaei, 32, from Shiraz; and Sohrab Imani, also from Shiraz.
Saeed and Ali Partovi, who were cousins, had been sentenced to death approximately two years earlier for the killing of a law-enforcement officer in Shiraz. Arash Shamsi had been convicted three years earlier of killing a friend, reportedly linked to so-called “honor” motives. Nasser Mirzaei had spent around two years in detention on murder charges, while Sohrab Imani had also been convicted of premeditated murder.
According to informed sources, despite the victim’s family submitting written consent for forgiveness ten days before the execution, without requesting blood money and emphasizing the unintentional nature of the killing, the Shiraz Prosecutor’s Office insisted on carrying out the sentence. Sources say this decision was linked to the alleged membership of Mirzaei’s brother in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Nasser Mirzaei was executed.
