Iran secretly executes Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, detained during Woman, Life, Freedom protests

Hengaw – Sunday, May 3, 2026

The death sentence of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a 27-year-old Kurdish political prisoner from Urmia detained during the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement, was carried out in secret at Urmia Central Prison. He had been transferred to solitary confinement last week.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out at dawn inside Urmia Central Prison. Iran’s judiciary confirmed the execution hours later.

Hengaw has learned that Abdollahzadeh was moved to solitary confinement on Tuesday, April 28, after an altercation with a prison guard, Amirreza Ghaznavi. The incident followed alleged insults directed at families of political prisoners in the visitation hall. Acting on the orders of Peyman Khanzadeh, head of Urmia Prison, he was transferred in handcuffs and shackles as a punitive measure.

The young man had previously been sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, presided over by Judge Najafzadeh, on charges including “armed rebellion” (baghi) and “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz). The case was linked to the killing of a government-affiliated individual, Abbas Fatemiyeh, during protests in October 2022 in Nushinshahr, Urmia.

Abdollahzadeh denied all charges and stated that his confessions had been extracted under severe torture.

However, the death sentence had been upheld by Branch 9 of the Supreme Court. More recently, Branch 39 rejected his request for a retrial. Despite a renewed appeal, the judiciary proceeded with the execution without observing due legal process.

Judiciary-affiliated media claimed that Abdollahzadeh, along with several other defendants, had participated in the assault that led to the killing of the government agent.