Turkish political prisoner Gholamreza Khani Shakarab at imminent risk of execution over espionage charges
Hengaw – Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, a Turkish political prisoner from Ardabil who has been sentenced to death, is at imminent risk of execution. Following his sudden transfer from a high-security ward in Tehran’s Evin Prison to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, concerns over the imminent implementation of his death sentence have sharply intensified.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, 34-year-old Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, a former MMA champion, coach, and international referee from Ardabil, was recently transferred from the security ward of Evin Prison to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison, placing him at serious risk of execution.
Hengaw has learned that Khani Shakarab was sentenced to death in a highly opaque judicial process. The ruling was issued by Judge Abolqasem Salavati of Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “espionage and collaboration with a hostile state (Israel).”
The death sentence was subsequently upheld in full by Branch 39 of Iran’s Supreme Court and referred for implementation, despite a recent request for judicial review submitted to the Supreme Court by his relatives.
A source familiar with the case told Hengaw that Khani Shakarab was denied access to a lawyer of his own choosing throughout both the interrogation and trial process. The source added that the conviction was based solely on forced confessions extracted under pressure.
Khani Shakarab, 34, had been residing in Turkey prior to his arrest. Before his detention, he was known as a former MMA athlete, as well as a coach and international referee in the sport.
He was arrested last year during a trip to Iraq. Sources state that he had traveled there for a religious pilgrimage at the request of a relative when he was detained by Iranian security forces and subsequently transferred back to Iran.
In connection with the same case, his 43-year-old brother, Esmail Khani, was also arrested on political charges due to his association with Gholamreza. After being sentenced to prison, he is currently serving his sentence in Ardabil Central Prison.
