Story perspectives

Iran Executes Three Prisoners in May Amid Forced Confessions

5/9/2026

Summary

Detainees Executed

Authorities executed Yaghoub Karimpour, Nasser Bakerzadeh and Mehrab Abdollahzadeh at Orumiyeh Prison on 6-7 May 2026.
Karimpour and Bakerzadeh faced espionage charges, while Abdollahzadeh denied any protest-related killing.
All three said they endured solitary confinement, psychological torture and forced confessions under threats to relatives while officials denied final visits and withheld their bodies.
Iran Human Rights and Kurdistan Human Rights Network recorded testimonies, noting families face pressure to stay silent.

Summary

Prisoners Hungerstrike

Political prisoners began the 119th week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” hunger strike on May 5, 2026, across 56 prisons.
The campaign blames the execution surge on the judiciary’s deference to intelligence agencies, noting this week’s execution of 21-year-old karate champion Sasan Azadvar in Isfahan and three protest-arrested inmates in Mashhad.
Women activists in Evin’s female ward who shouted anti-execution slogans were denied visitation and phone calls.

Summary

Iran Executes

On May 5, Iran announced the hanging of Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri and Ebrahim Dolatabadi as Mossad agents for January Mashhad riots.
Tehran links the protest surge since December to a regional war triggered by a U.S.-Israeli attack on February 28.
Rights groups rank Iran as the world’s second-most prolific executioner after China, while the government reports over 3,000 protest deaths blamed on “terrorist acts” by the United States and Israel.

History

Historical Context

In July 1988 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordered the secret execution of thousands of political prisoners—estimates range from 2,800 to 5,000 across 32 cities—using a death-committee that included future president Ebrahim Raisi. The 2024 UN Special Rapporteur report again labeled the killings genocide, prompting Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Council to scrutinize today’s execution of Yaghoub Karimpour.

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Detainees Executed

Authorities executed Yaghoub Karimpour, Nasser Bakerzadeh and Mehrab Abdollahzadeh at Orumiyeh Prison on 6-7 May 2026.
Karimpour and Bakerzadeh faced espionage charges, while Abdollahzadeh denied any protest-related killing.
All three said they endured solitary confinement, psychological torture and forced confessions under threats to relatives while officials denied final visits and withheld their bodies.
Iran Human Rights and Kurdistan Human Rights Network recorded testimonies, noting families face pressure to stay silent.

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