Kurdish political prisoner Nasser Bakrzadeh sentenced to death for the third time
Hengaw – Sunday, February 22, 2026
Nasser Bakrzadeh, a Kurdish political prisoner held in Urmia Central Prison, has been sentenced to death for the third time by Iran’s judiciary on charges of “spying for Israel,” despite two previous death sentences having been overturned by the Supreme Court.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Bakrzadeh, a 26-year-old Kurdish man from Urmia, was sentenced to death by Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia. The ruling was formally communicated on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, to his lawyers — Seydad Shirzad, Amir Raeisian, and Nihad Irandoust.
Seydad Shirzad announced the verdict on his account on the social media platform X, stating that Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court once again issued a death sentence despite the fact that Branch 39 of the Supreme Court had twice overturned previous rulings due to multiple legal deficiencies. According to Shirzad, the same flaws and legal objections cited by the Supreme Court remain unresolved in the third verdict, and the lower court failed to address them.
Bakrzadeh had previously been sentenced to death by Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, presided over by Judge Shahini, on the same charge of “spying for Israel.” That ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court and referred to a parallel branch.
He was again sentenced to death by Branch Three of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh on November 2, 2024. Following an appeal, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court overturned that verdict as well and referred the case to another equivalent branch.
Bakrzadeh was first arrested on August 9, 2023, by Intelligence Organization forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Urmia. After several weeks, he was temporarily released upon signing a written commitment.
He was re-arrested on January 2, 2024, by IRGC Intelligence forces in Urmia and, after months of interrogation under pressure at the IRGC’s Al-Mahdi detention facility, was transferred to Urmia Central Prison.
During his detention, Bakrzadeh was subjected to pressure aimed at extracting forced confessions and was denied basic rights, including access to legal counsel and family visits.
