The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Human rights organization Hengaw reported that Iranian authorities executed 14 prisoners, among them three Afghan nationals, in a series of executions carried out across multiple prisons in late January and early February 2026.
According to Hengaw’s updated statement, the executions were
implemented following death sentences for premeditated murder and drug
trafficking charges. The killings took place in the following facilities: Ahvaz,
Arak, Gorgan, Taybad, Yazd, and Shiraz — all major prison centers in Iran.
The three Afghan citizens identified by name were:
Karim Nazari
Saifuddin Mehraban
Nameq Kasravi
Hengaw also noted that three Gilak prisoners — an ethnic
group from northern Iran — were executed in the same series of actions.
In a related development, Hengaw has documented a sharp rise
in executions of Afghan nationals in Iran, reporting that at least 85 Afghan
citizens were executed during 2025 alone.
Additionally, separate executions continued in Iranian prisons, including the recent hanging of another Afghan national at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, where five prisoners — including three Kurds and one Afghan — were executed.
Hengaw’s reporting reflects ongoing concerns by human rights
organizations about the use of the death penalty in Iran, especially against
ethnic minorities and foreign nationals. Afghan migrants and minorities — such
as Kurds and Baluch — have been repeatedly cited in execution cases throughout
2025 and into 2026.
Iranian state media typically do not publicly report most of
these executions, meaning independent documentation by groups like Hengaw
remains one of the main sources for tracking these events.
