Ehsan Khodadadi sentenced to death on torture-tainted Israel espionage charges

Hengaw – Thursday, June 18, 2026

Ehsan Khodadadi, a 32-year-old Turkish political prisoner from Malekan County held in Tabriz Central Prison, has been sentenced to death by the Iranian Judiciary on charges of "espionage for Israel." The sentence was based on confessions extracted under severe physical torture.

Information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights shows that Branch One of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Reza Abadi, recently sentenced Khodadadi to death on charges of "espionage for Israel" and "corruption on earth" (efsad-e fel-arz).

According to Hengaw sources, Khodadadi was held incommunicado for four months following his arrest, a practice that amounts to enforced disappearance. During that period, he was denied all contact with his family, including phone calls, and was deprived of access to legal counsel. Authorities permitted his first family visit only after six months in detention due to his deteriorating physical condition.

Evidence obtained by Hengaw shows that Khodadadi was subjected to severe physical torture while held in a security detention facility. Several of his teeth and fingers were broken as a result of the abuse. His interrogator, identified by the surname Salmanpour, forced him to sign dictated confessions obtained through torture. Those confessions subsequently served as the primary basis for the death sentence issued by Judge Reza Abadi.

Khodadadi, a resident of Yuzbashkandi village in Malekan County, was arrested on Saturday, June 7, 2025, one week before the outbreak of the 12-day war between Iran and Israel. Security agencies have accused him of providing Israel with information and coordinates of military sites, citing the fact that he completed his mandatory military service in Tabriz 11 years earlier. Based on this allegation, authorities opened a security case against him.