Iran executes Bahman Farzaneh over murder of Elaha Hosseinnejad

Hengaw – Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Iranian authorities have executed Bahman Farzaneh, who had been convicted of murdering Elaha Hosseinnejad, a 24-year-old woman from Eslamshahr, after the death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, according to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.

The judiciary’s media center (Mizan News Agency) reported the execution of 45-year-old Bahman Farzaneh. The official judiciary report did not specify the exact date or location of the execution. However, Hengaw has learned that the sentence was carried out on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

The court hearing in this case was held on July 28, 2025, before a special branch of Criminal Court No. 1 of Tehran province.

The court sentenced Bahman Farzaneh to death on charges including the “murder of Elaha Hosseinnejad by stabbing,” “concealing the body,” and “intentional destruction of property, including two mobile phones, a handbag and identity documents.” The ruling was later fully upheld by the Supreme Court.

Elaha Hosseinnejad, a 24-year-old resident of Eslamshahr, was killed on May 25, 2025, after getting into a passing vehicle in Tehran’s Azadi Square. According to reports, the driver, identified as the defendant in the case, attacked her with a knife with the motive of robbery and assault, and later concealed her body on the outskirts of the city.