At least four prisoners executed in Ardabil and Ramhormoz prisons

Hengaw – Saturday, August 15, 2026

Iranian authorities executed at least four prisoners, Mehrdad Sahebi, Nader Sheikhlu, Mohammad Zahedi, and a fourth man whose identity remains under investigation, in Ardabil and Ramhormoz prisons in recent days. All had been sentenced to death in separate cases on charges of “premeditated murder.”

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, three Turk prisoners were executed in Ardabil Central Prison in the early hours of Monday, August 10, 2026. Two of them were Mehrdad Sahebi, 22, and Nader Sheikhlu, 26.

Sahebi, from Ardabil, was arrested three years ago at the age of 19 following an altercation at a billiards club and subsequently sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for “premeditated murder.”

Sheikhlu, an auto body repairer and painter, was arrested about four years ago following an unintentional altercation and subsequently sentenced to qisas.

The third prisoner, whose identity remains under investigation, was approximately 35 years old and had been sentenced to death for the murder of a woman. He was transferred from another prison to Ardabil Central Prison before his execution. State-affiliated media reported his execution without disclosing his identity.

Separately, Mohammad Zahedi, 28, was executed in Ramhormoz Prison in Khuzestan province in the early hours of Sunday, August 9, 2026. He had been arrested three years earlier on charges of “premeditated murder” and sentenced to death.

Apart from domestic media reports concerning one of the prisoners executed in Ardabil, the other executions have not been announced by Iran’s official media or judiciary-affiliated sources.