Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Nasser Bakrzadeh, raising serious concerns about the imminent risk of execution, particularly amid reports of a rising number of executions in politically sensitive cases across the country.
According to information published by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, the 26-year-old prisoner was recently summoned to the enforcement office of Urmia Central Prison, where he was formally informed that his death sentence had been confirmed.
A knowledgeable source reported that the notification was accompanied by threats suggesting that the execution could be carried out in the near future. When Bakrzadeh objected to this treatment, he was allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault by a prison official.
The speed of the Supreme Court’s recent review has further intensified concerns. The ruling was reportedly issued shortly after the case was referred to the Court, despite the fact that previous death sentences in the same case had been overturned more than once due to procedural flaws. Observers note that the repeated reissuance of the same sentence following prior reversals raises serious concerns about respect for fair trial standards and judicial independence.
Bakrzadeh has been in detention since early 2024 and has previously reported being held in prolonged solitary confinement and subjected to severe psychological pressure. The confirmation of his sentence under the current situation in Iran has heightened fears that the execution may be carried out without adequate safeguards.
Following the notification, Bakrzadeh issued an open letter addressed to the public and international human rights bodies, calling for urgent support to halt the execution. In part, he writes:
“This may be the last time my voice is heard…
A death sentence is something no human being can endure; it has destroyed me and devastated my family…
I ask you not to remain indifferent—today it is my turn, tomorrow it may be someone else’s…”
He also calls on the international community, including organizations such as Amnesty International, to amplify his voice and take action to prevent the execution.
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According to information published by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, the 26-year-old prisoner was recently summoned to the enforcement office of Urmia Central Prison, where he was formally informed that his death sentence had been confirmed.
A knowledgeable source reported that the notification was accompanied by threats suggesting that the execution could be carried out in the near future. When Bakrzadeh objected to this treatment, he was allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and physical assault by a prison official.
The speed of the Supreme Court’s recent review has further intensified concerns. The ruling was reportedly issued shortly after the case was referred to the Court, despite the fact that previous death sentences in the same case had been overturned more than once due to procedural flaws. Observers note that the repeated reissuance of the same sentence following prior reversals raises serious concerns about respect for fair trial standards and judicial independence.
Bakrzadeh has been in detention since early 2024 and has previously reported being held in prolonged solitary confinement and subjected to severe psychological pressure. The confirmation of his sentence under the current situation in Iran has heightened fears that the execution may be carried out without adequate safeguards.
Following the notification, Bakrzadeh issued an open letter addressed to the public and international human rights bodies, calling for urgent support to halt the execution. In part, he writes:
“This may be the last time my voice is heard…
A death sentence is something no human being can endure; it has destroyed me and devastated my family…
I ask you not to remain indifferent—today it is my turn, tomorrow it may be someone else’s…”
He also calls on the international community, including organizations such as Amnesty International, to amplify his voice and take action to prevent the execution.
@iranhrdc
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According to a report by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, on the morning of Thursday, April 30, 2026, three death row prisoners, Nasser Bakrzadeh, Karim Yaghoubpour, and Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, were separately transferred from Urmia Central Prison to undisclosed locations and have not returned to their wards as of the time of writing.
An informed source in Urmia stated that Nasser Bakrzadeh was summoned earlier today to the prison’s sentence enforcement office for a meeting with an official. However, after this meeting, he was taken out of the prison in a refrigerated vehicle and transferred to an unknown location. Karim Yaghoubpour was also taken out of prison under the pretext of being sent to the forensic medicine office and has not returned. Regarding Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, reports indicate that he had previously been moved to solitary confinement; while his cellmate has since been returned to the ward, his own whereabouts remain unknown.
These sudden transfers have intensified concerns over the imminent risk of execution for all three prisoners, particularly in light of earlier reports suggesting temporary halts in the enforcement of some of their sentences.
Nasser Bakrzadeh, a 26-year-old from Urmia, has been sentenced to death on charges of “espionage for Israel.” He previously rejected the allegations in an open letter and warned of the imminent risk to his life. Karim Yaghoubpour, a Turkic Yarsani man with a disability, was sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz) through alleged espionage, following a process reportedly lacking fair trial guarantees and without effective access to legal counsel.
Mehrab Abdollahzadeh was arrested during the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests and later sentenced to death on charges of involvement in the killing of a Basij member. His sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
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An informed source in Urmia stated that Nasser Bakrzadeh was summoned earlier today to the prison’s sentence enforcement office for a meeting with an official. However, after this meeting, he was taken out of the prison in a refrigerated vehicle and transferred to an unknown location. Karim Yaghoubpour was also taken out of prison under the pretext of being sent to the forensic medicine office and has not returned. Regarding Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, reports indicate that he had previously been moved to solitary confinement; while his cellmate has since been returned to the ward, his own whereabouts remain unknown.
These sudden transfers have intensified concerns over the imminent risk of execution for all three prisoners, particularly in light of earlier reports suggesting temporary halts in the enforcement of some of their sentences.
Nasser Bakrzadeh, a 26-year-old from Urmia, has been sentenced to death on charges of “espionage for Israel.” He previously rejected the allegations in an open letter and warned of the imminent risk to his life. Karim Yaghoubpour, a Turkic Yarsani man with a disability, was sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz) through alleged espionage, following a process reportedly lacking fair trial guarantees and without effective access to legal counsel.
Mehrab Abdollahzadeh was arrested during the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests and later sentenced to death on charges of involvement in the killing of a Basij member. His sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
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In a post on X earlier today, Amir Raesian, a lawyer and human rights defender, wrote that while he was pursuing a retrial request and preparing to file a new motion to halt the execution of his client, Naser Bakerzadeh, Mizan News Agency reported that the sentence had already been carried out.
Iran’s judiciary announced on Saturday, May 2, that Naser Bekrzadeh and Yaghoub Karimpour, two prisoners convicted in security-related cases, had been executed. According to the official statement, Bekrzadeh was executed on the charge of “corruption on earth” through alleged cooperation with Mossad, while Karimpour was executed on charges of intelligence cooperation and espionage for Israel.
Raesian, Bekrzadeh’s lawyer, said Branch 39 of the Supreme Court had previously overturned his client’s death sentence twice. However, on April 19, the same branch upheld the third death sentence issued by the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, despite the earlier objections reportedly remaining unresolved.
According to Raesian, the decision was notified to the lawyers on April 25, and they immediately filed a request for retrial. After the request was referred to Branch 9 of the Supreme Court, that branch issued an order to halt the execution in the final administrative hours of April 26 and notified the Enforcement of Judgments Office in Urmia.
Raesian also said that on April 30, Bekrzadeh called from prison and said he had been summoned by prison officials. Around the same time, the lawyers discovered that their access to the case file had been restricted in Sana, Iran’s judicial electronic notification system.
The sequence of events, including the Supreme Court’s two previous reversals, the issuance of a stay of execution, the restriction of lawyers’ access to the case file, and the rapid execution following the rejection of the retrial request, raises serious questions about transparency in the proceedings and the effective right of access to legal counsel.
@iranhrdc
#DigitalBlackoutIran
#iran_strikes
#iran_human_rights
#iranmassacre
#nasser_bakrzadeh
#yaghoub_Karimpour
Iran’s judiciary announced on Saturday, May 2, that Naser Bekrzadeh and Yaghoub Karimpour, two prisoners convicted in security-related cases, had been executed. According to the official statement, Bekrzadeh was executed on the charge of “corruption on earth” through alleged cooperation with Mossad, while Karimpour was executed on charges of intelligence cooperation and espionage for Israel.
Raesian, Bekrzadeh’s lawyer, said Branch 39 of the Supreme Court had previously overturned his client’s death sentence twice. However, on April 19, the same branch upheld the third death sentence issued by the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, despite the earlier objections reportedly remaining unresolved.
According to Raesian, the decision was notified to the lawyers on April 25, and they immediately filed a request for retrial. After the request was referred to Branch 9 of the Supreme Court, that branch issued an order to halt the execution in the final administrative hours of April 26 and notified the Enforcement of Judgments Office in Urmia.
Raesian also said that on April 30, Bekrzadeh called from prison and said he had been summoned by prison officials. Around the same time, the lawyers discovered that their access to the case file had been restricted in Sana, Iran’s judicial electronic notification system.
The sequence of events, including the Supreme Court’s two previous reversals, the issuance of a stay of execution, the restriction of lawyers’ access to the case file, and the rapid execution following the rejection of the retrial request, raises serious questions about transparency in the proceedings and the effective right of access to legal counsel.
@iranhrdc
#DigitalBlackoutIran
#iran_strikes
#iran_human_rights
#iranmassacre
#nasser_bakrzadeh
#yaghoub_Karimpour