Hengaw – Friday, August 21, 2026 Pouria Hosseinimofrad and Rasul Rezaei, two men arrested in connection with the January 2026 protests and currently held at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, have been sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary. Rezaei’s death sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court. According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Hosseinimofrad, a 23-year-old political prisoner, was sentenced to death about a month ago by Branch 5 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Hossein Yazdankhah, with Seyed Reza Javadmousavi serving as an adviser. Hosseinimofrad was charged with “acting against national security,” “assembly and collusion,” and “operational activities disrupting national security.” Authorities alleged that the acts were carried out in support of an opposition group. The alleged acts cited in his case include breaking the glass of a bus stop and setting fire to shrubs during a protest. Hosseinimofrad was arrested by Iranian security forces in Mashhad on January 14, 2026. Following interrogation, he was transferred to Vakilabad Prison, where he remains in custody. Separately, the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Rasul Rezaei, a 28-year-old man from Fariman and father of two children, ages 2 and 5, who is also being held at Vakilabad Prison. Rezaei was sentenced to death by a branch of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court on the charge of “moharebeh” (Waging war against God), an offense punishable by death under Iranian law. He was arrested by Iranian security forces in Fariman on January 9, 2026. Before his arrest, he worked as a street vendor. Rezaei has been denied access to a lawyer of his choosing, telephone calls and family visits. No information has been made available regarding the specific acts or evidence underlying the charge against him.

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence imposed on Arghavan Fallahi, a 24-year-old political prisoner held in Evin Prison. The sentence was previously issued by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, on the charge of “armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic (Baghy).” According to HRANA, the Revolutionary Court sentenced Fallahi to death in July 2026. Previous reports indicated that the court invoked Article 287 of the Islamic Penal Code and based its ruling on allegations that she had joined groups opposed to the Islamic Republic and engaged in “armed activity.” No details have yet been released about the Supreme Court’s review of the case or the branch that upheld the sentence. Fallahi was arrested by security forces in late January 2025 and initially transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is administered by the Ministry of Intelligence. According to published reports, she spent a significant part of her detention in the prison’s security wards 209 and 241, where she was subjected to severe psychological pressure and interrogated in an effort to extract forced confessions. Some of the interrogations were reportedly related to the killings of judges Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini. However, no independently verifiable evidence linking Fallahi to that case has been made public. Following the Israeli attack on Evin Prison in June 2025, Fallahi was first transferred to Greater Tehran Prison and later to Qarchak Prison in Varamin. She was subsequently returned to Evin Prison, where she remains incarcerated. This is not Fallahi’s first arrest. Security forces previously detained her and her father in November 2022. In that case, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, sentenced her to two years in prison on charges of “assembly and collusion” and “disseminating propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” She was released after serving the full sentence but was arrested again several months later and now faces execution.

Hengaw – Friday, August 21, 2026 Iranian authorities executed four prisoners in Isfahan Central Prison after they were sentenced to death in separate drug-related cases. According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, the executions were carried out on Wednesday morning, August 19, 2026. Those executed were Mohsen Darabi, a Kurdish man from Kermanshah (Kermashan) and father of two; Omidreza Ghanbarian, a 40-year-old Turk from Tabriz and father of one; Amir Farhadi, from Isfahan; and Abdolbaset Barahouei (Eidouzehi), a 30-year-old Baloch man from Zahedan. All four had previously been arrested on drug-related charges in separate cases and sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary. State media, including outlets affiliated with the judiciary, have not reported the executions.