Iran executes 13 prisoners across multiple prisons
Hengaw – Friday, January 9, 2026
The death sentences of 13 prisoners, including five Arab prisoners, have been carried out in prisons across Yazd, Dezful, Karaj, Kerman, Ahvaz, and Kashmar.
Those executed have been identified as Karim Bozorgkar, Mohammad Jolaei, Kaveh Panahi, Ali Neirang, Yazdan Elahiyari, Hamed Niazi, Omid Nobakht, Amirhamzeh Palangi, Moslem Hajibabai, Mohammad Yarahzadeh, Abdolnoor Shabani, Karamali Khani, and Niazali Faryadi.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, they had previously been sentenced to death by Iran’s judiciary on charges including “waging war against God” (moharebeh), premeditated murder, and drug-related offenses.
Kaveh Panahi and Ali Neirang were executed in the early hours of Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at Yazd Central Prison. The two men had been arrested approximately three years earlier in a joint case and later sentenced to death. Despite their execution on charges of moharebeh, no clear information has been released regarding the specific acts cited to justify the accusation.
On the same day, Yazdan Elahiyari (35), a father of two from Pishva in Tehran Province, along with Hamed Niazi and Omid Nobakht (30), were executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. Yazdan Elahiyari had been arrested around seven years earlier on charges of murdering his wife, while Omid Nobakht was detained five years ago following a street altercation. Hamed Niazi had been arrested on similar charges. All three were subsequently sentenced to death.
Also the executions of two Arab prisoners from Dezful—Karim Bozorgkar (39) and Mohammad Jolaei—were carried out on January 7. Both had been arrested on charges of premeditated murder and sentenced to death. Karim Bozorgkar had been imprisoned for approximately six years, while Mohammad Jolaei had been detained for about three years.
Separately, three Arab prisoners—Moslem Hajibabai (39) and Mohammad Yarahzadeh (36), both from Ahvaz, and Abdolnoor Shabani from Mahshahr—were executed in the early hours of Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Moslem Hajibabai had been imprisoned for nearly five years, while Mohammad Yarahzadeh and Abdolnoor Shabani had each been detained for approximately four years on charges of premeditated murder.
On the same day, Amirhamzeh Palangi, a 21-year-old Baloch prisoner from Rigan and a resident of Kerman, was executed at Shahab Prison in Kerman. He had been arrested three years earlier on murder charges and sentenced to death.
Continuing the recent wave of executions, in the early hours of Wednesday, December 30, 2025, the death sentences of Karamali Khani, from Kashmar in Razavi Khorasan Province, and Niazali Faryadi, a 40-year-old from Torbat-e Heydariyeh, were carried out at Kashmar Prison. Karamali Khani had been detained for approximately four years on murder charges, while Niazali Faryadi had been imprisoned for around two years on drug-related charges.
The executions of these prisoners have not been officially announced by state-run media, including outlets affiliated with Iran’s judiciary.
