Seventeen political prisoners held in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj were transferred to solitary confinement on Saturday, July 26, 2025, and have since launched a collective hunger strike in protest against the systematic violence by security forces targeting political prisoners in Ward 4 of the prison.
According to HRANA, the hunger strike began following a violent raid by over 100 special forces from the prison’s security units and agents from the Ministry of Intelligence. During the raid, at least seventeen political prisoners were forcibly removed and transferred to solitary confinement cells in Units 1 and 3. The names of these prisoners are:
Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb, Ahmadreza Haeri, Arsham Rezaei, Reza Salmanzadeh, Mohammad Shafei, Akbar Bagheri, Sepehr Emamjomeh, Loqman Aminpour, Meysam Dehban Zadeh, Reza Mohammad Hosseini, Mostafa Ramezani, Abolhassan Montazer, Salahuddin Ziaei, Ali Moezzi, Hamzeh Savari, Khosrow Rahnama, and Asadollah Hadi.
During the assault, several prisoners were beaten, the ward’s phone lines were cut, and many were violently dragged to solitary cells. Additionally, Saeed Masouri was separated from other prisoners to be exiled to Zahedan Prison, while Behrouz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hassani were isolated in preparation for execution.
@iranhrdc
#Zartosht_Ahmadi_Ragheb
#Ahmadreza_Haeri
#Arsham_Rezaei
#Reza_Salmanzadeh #Mohammad_Shafei
#Akbar_Bagheri
#Sepehr_Emamjomeh #Loqman_Aminpour #Meysam_Dehban_Zadeh #Reza_Mohammad_Hosseini
#Mostafa_Ramezani #Abolhassan_Montazer #Salahuddin_Ziaei
#Ali_Moezzi
#Hamzeh_Savari
#Khosrow_Rahnama
#Asadollah_Hadi
#saeed_masouri
#Behrouz_Ehsani_Eslamlou
#Mehdi_Hassani
According to HRANA, the hunger strike began following a violent raid by over 100 special forces from the prison’s security units and agents from the Ministry of Intelligence. During the raid, at least seventeen political prisoners were forcibly removed and transferred to solitary confinement cells in Units 1 and 3. The names of these prisoners are:
Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb, Ahmadreza Haeri, Arsham Rezaei, Reza Salmanzadeh, Mohammad Shafei, Akbar Bagheri, Sepehr Emamjomeh, Loqman Aminpour, Meysam Dehban Zadeh, Reza Mohammad Hosseini, Mostafa Ramezani, Abolhassan Montazer, Salahuddin Ziaei, Ali Moezzi, Hamzeh Savari, Khosrow Rahnama, and Asadollah Hadi.
During the assault, several prisoners were beaten, the ward’s phone lines were cut, and many were violently dragged to solitary cells. Additionally, Saeed Masouri was separated from other prisoners to be exiled to Zahedan Prison, while Behrouz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hassani were isolated in preparation for execution.
@iranhrdc
#Zartosht_Ahmadi_Ragheb
#Ahmadreza_Haeri
#Arsham_Rezaei
#Reza_Salmanzadeh #Mohammad_Shafei
#Akbar_Bagheri
#Sepehr_Emamjomeh #Loqman_Aminpour #Meysam_Dehban_Zadeh #Reza_Mohammad_Hosseini
#Mostafa_Ramezani #Abolhassan_Montazer #Salahuddin_Ziaei
#Ali_Moezzi
#Hamzeh_Savari
#Khosrow_Rahnama
#Asadollah_Hadi
#saeed_masouri
#Behrouz_Ehsani_Eslamlou
#Mehdi_Hassani
Reports indicate that two political prisoners, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, have been executed in secret at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz Province. Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the judiciary, also confirmed the executions on Monday, March 30. The two men, who were arrested in 2023 and sentenced to death in 2024 by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of baghy, or armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic, through membership in the Mojahedin Organization, were executed before a final ruling was issued by the Supreme Court.
They had been accused of security-related offenses and alleged involvement in organized activities. However, human rights sources say their cases were marked by serious violations of due process. These concerns include lack of effective access to legal counsel, non-transparent court proceedings, and reliance on confessions reportedly obtained under coercion and torture.
Four other defendants in the same case, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi Bistouni, Vahid Bani Amerian, and Abolhassan Montazer, remain on death row. Following these executions, concerns have intensified over the imminent risk to their lives.
Human rights organizations have strongly condemned the executions and warned of a broader escalation in the use of the death penalty against political prisoners and protesters. They argue that such practices not only violate fundamental legal and international standards but also point to a growing pattern of repression targeting dissent.
@iranhrdc
#DigitalBlackoutIran
#iran_strikes
#iran_human_rights
#iranmassacre
#Ali_Akbar_Daneshvarkar #Mohammad_Taghavi_Sangdehi
#Babak_Alipour
#Pouya_Ghobadi_Bistouni #Vahid_Bani_Amerian #Abolhassan_Montazer
They had been accused of security-related offenses and alleged involvement in organized activities. However, human rights sources say their cases were marked by serious violations of due process. These concerns include lack of effective access to legal counsel, non-transparent court proceedings, and reliance on confessions reportedly obtained under coercion and torture.
Four other defendants in the same case, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi Bistouni, Vahid Bani Amerian, and Abolhassan Montazer, remain on death row. Following these executions, concerns have intensified over the imminent risk to their lives.
Human rights organizations have strongly condemned the executions and warned of a broader escalation in the use of the death penalty against political prisoners and protesters. They argue that such practices not only violate fundamental legal and international standards but also point to a growing pattern of repression targeting dissent.
@iranhrdc
#DigitalBlackoutIran
#iran_strikes
#iran_human_rights
#iranmassacre
#Ali_Akbar_Daneshvarkar #Mohammad_Taghavi_Sangdehi
#Babak_Alipour
#Pouya_Ghobadi_Bistouni #Vahid_Bani_Amerian #Abolhassan_Montazer