At risk of execution

This page is not a memorial; it is a list of people who are still alive and are facing a death sentence or a capital charge. This list contains 403 prisoners whose lives, according to reports published since Dey 1402, are in danger. The earliest report in this list dates back to 13 Dey 1402 and the most recent to 22 Mehr 1405. Every day that these names are seen and spoken may make a difference to their fate. The charges that appear here are those announced by the authorities or sources, and recording them does not mean accepting them.

The situation of these prisoners

151 people in this list have been sentenced to death. The death sentence of 41 people has been upheld, which means that the legal avenues are almost closed to them. 122 people are at risk of the execution of a death sentence, and 89 others face a charge that carries the death penalty. From the year 1402 there are only 8 reports in this list, but with 59 reports from 1403, 64 from 1404 and 103 from 1405, the number of new cases has risen. The day 22 Tir 1405 with 20 names and the day 9 Mordad 1405 with 11 names are the days on which the most reports were recorded.

The median age of these prisoners is 28 years, the youngest of them is 12 years old and the oldest 65. 6 people are under 18 years of age: children who face a death sentence or a capital charge. There are also 44 women in this list. Isfahan with 41 names is the most frequent city, followed by Tehran with 40, Karaj with 38, Mashhad with 18 and Ahvaz with 13 names; Hamedan, Urmia, Rasht, Zahedan, Esfarayen, Arak and Tabriz are also in this list.

Some names

Ali Zarei Dowzdarehsi, 27 years old, is one of those who suffered eye injuries in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in 1401. He previously lived in Germany and was arrested after returning to Iran. His death sentence has been upheld. This sentence of his has been quoted: “Moment by moment I am getting closer to the execution rope of the Islamic Republic.” Ahad Shokouhian, 38 years old, a worker at the Tehran flower market and the sole breadwinner of his family, suffers from severe asthma. According to the source he “has been sentenced to death three times and the Supreme Court has rejected his appeal,” even though camera footage shows that he did not enter the mosque that caught fire.

Ali Rahimi Rigi, 32 years old, from Lordegan, according to the source took sole responsibility for the charges from the beginning of his detention so that his friends and those around him would not be arrested. The lawyer introduced by the family was not allowed to join the case, and he refused a court-appointed lawyer and defended himself. His death sentence has also been upheld.

Hadi Abbasian, 38 years old, from Shirvan, was arrested on 23 Ordibehesht 1405 and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Bojnurd. Before his arrest he had said: “I protest, and I will not back down from my words. But if something happens to me, be informed.” Mohammad Hossein Hosseini, 26 years old, a football player who had played in the youth teams of Sepahan and Persepolis, faces a charge in Mashhad that carries the death penalty; according to the source, football was “the only passion and path of life” for him.

About this list

This list is not complete. The real number of people at risk of execution in Iran's prisons is much higher, and the names of many are never published. We list only a name for which we have found a source. The largest share of these 403 names comes from iranintl.com with 178 cases; followed by HRANA with 175, the Iran Human Rights Society with 92 and the Kurdistan Human Rights Network with 47 cases. Every name has at least one source, but some rest on only one report, and the situation of each prisoner may have changed since the latest report: a sentence may have been overturned, someone may have been released, or a sentence may have been carried out. For 115 people, details of their life have been recorded. If you have more recent news about the situation of one of these prisoners, share it with us.