Iran executes Hamidreza Sabet Esmailpour on espionage charges linked to Israel

Hengaw – Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Iranian state media have reported the execution of a prisoner identified as Hamidreza Sabet Esmailpour, who had been sentenced to death on charges of “espionage for Israel.” He is the 20th individual executed on similar charges since last year.

Based on information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the death sentence against Esmailpour, a political prisoner, was carried out at dawn on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. State-affiliated media have not specified the exact location where the execution took place, nor have they provided further procedural details.

The judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency claimed, without presenting evidence or detailed information, that Esmailpour had been involved in what it described as “Israeli sabotage of Iran’s Ministry of Defense missile facilities” in 2022. According to the same report, he was arrested on April 29, 2025, and later sentenced to death.

With the execution of Esmailpour, the number of people executed in Iran on charges related to alleged cooperation with Israel since the beginning of 2025 has reached at least 20. Eighteen of these executions have taken place following the outbreak of the 12-day Iran–Israel war.