Five prisoners, including three Kurds, executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj

Hengaw – Sunday, February 8, 2026

The death sentences of five prisoners, including three Kurdish inmates and one Afghan national, have been carried out at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj. The inmates had previously been sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary on charges related to drug offenses and premeditated murder.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the executions of two brothers from Kuhdasht in Lorestan Province — Ahmad Heydari and Farhad Heydari — were carried out at Ghezel Hesar Prison on February 3, 2026. The two had been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death.

In a separate case, two other prisoners — Saeed Malekian, a 32-year-old Kurd from Harsin in Kermanshah Province, and Amirhossein Mayeli — were executed at the same prison on January 28, 2026. Saeed Malekian had been imprisoned for approximately six years on a charge of premeditated murder, and Amirhossein Mayeli had also been sentenced to death on similar murder charges.

Additionally, the execution of an Afghan national identified as Ahmad Farhad Heydari, originally from Herat, was carried out at Ghezel Hesar Prison on December 9, 2025. He had been arrested around six years earlier on a murder charge and sentenced to Qisas (retribution in kind).

These executions have not been officially announced by state media, particularly outlets affiliated with the Iranian judiciary.