Iran executes man convicted of sexual assault and murder of 9-year-old boy

Hengaw – Monday, June 1, 2026

Iranian authorities have executed a Rasht resident who had been sentenced to death for the sexual assault and murder of a nine-year-old boy, Ilya Hassanzadeh, in the city last summer.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the execution was carried out in the early hours of Monday, June 1, 2026, at Rasht Central Prison (Lakan Prison). The prisoner was identified as Behnam Nemati, 39.

Nemati was sentenced to death in October 2025 by Branch Three of the Rasht Criminal Court after being convicted of the sexual assault and murder of Hassanzadeh. The sentence was later upheld in full by Iran’s Supreme Court and subsequently referred to the Gilan Judiciary’s Office for Enforcement of Sentences.

Although Iranian state media and the judiciary reported the execution, they withheld the prisoner's identity and personal details, consistent with a longstanding practice in similar cases. Hengaw has independently confirmed that the executed prisoner was Behnam Nemati, 39.