Iran executes two more political prisoners, Pouya Ghobadi Bistouni and Babak Alipour, in Karaj as executions intensify
Hengaw — Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Iranian authorities executed two political prisoners, Pouya Ghobadi Bistouni and Babak Alipour, in secret at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, according to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
The executions were carried out without prior notice to their families or lawyers and without a final visit, early on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
The two men had been sentenced to death in a joint case along with three others on charges of “rebellion (baghi) through membership in the Mujahedin-e Khalq.”
Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency confirmed the executions, stating that the sentences were carried out after approval by the Supreme Court.
The executions followed the hanging of two other co-defendants, Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghi Sangdehi, at the same prison a day earlier.
The men were initially sentenced to death in December 2024 by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. Although the Supreme Court had previously overturned the verdict due to investigative flaws, the same court reissued death sentences for all six defendants in November 2025 after brief hearings.
The prisoners were subjected to severe torture during interrogations, including beatings, electric shocks, flogging, and threats against their families, in order to extract forced confessions.
Ghobadi Bistouni, a 34-year-old Turkish man from Sonqor in Kermanshah province, was an electrical engineer, a graduate of Kurdistan University, and a calligrapher and santur player who had previously served five years in prison.
Alipour, 35, a Gilak man from Rasht, held a degree in law. He was a civil activist and mountaineer who worked in rice farming due to economic pressures. His mother, sister, and brother have also been detained since early 2025.
The executions took place amid heightened tensions inside Ghezel Hesar Prison. On Sunday night, prison guards raided Ward 4 and transferred at least 22 political prisoners after beating them. The detainees were members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign.
Hengaw expresses serious concern, warning that with four of the six defendants in this case now executed, the lives of the remaining two, Vahid Bani Amerian and Abolhassan Montazer, are in grave danger. The secret executions and denial of final visits are clear violations of human rights and international legal standards.
