Secret Execution of 4 Political Prisoners and the Risk of Execution for Two Others; Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, and Ali Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar
March 31, 2026 – Over the course of two days, four political prisoners named “Pouya Ghobadi,” “Babak Alipour,” “Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi,” and “Ali Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar” were executed secretly and without prior notice to their families and lawyers. Simultaneously, the risk of the execution of the death sentences for two other prisoners in this case, “Vahid Bani-Amerian” and “Abolhassan Montazer,” is reported to remain serious.
On the morning of Tuesday, March 31, 2026, government media, including “Mizan,” published the news of the execution of “Pouya Ghobadi” and “Babak Alipour” without mentioning the location where the sentences were carried out. This is while one day earlier, on March 30, 2026, “Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi” and “Ali Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar” had also been executed. Reports indicate that these executions took place in Ghezel Hesar Prison in the city of Karaj.
The execution of these individuals took place under conditions where, according to reports, their judicial process was accompanied by serious violations. Among these, the defendants were subjected to physical and psychological torture—including threats of mock executions—to extract confessions, were held in solitary confinement for long periods, and were deprived of effective access to a lawyer. Furthermore, government news agencies broadcasted forced confessions from “Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi” and “Ali Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar.”
In the judicial process, Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, sentenced these six prisoners to death on November 25, 2024, on the charge of “Baghi” (armed rebellion) through membership in the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran. They were also sentenced to imprisonment and exile on charges such as “assembly and collusion against national security.” According to the families, the defendants had only a few minutes to defend themselves, which is contrary to the standards of a fair trial.
Although the Supreme Court overturned the death sentences in July 2025 and referred the case for retrial, these individuals were tried again in the same branch in November of that year and were sentenced to death once more on December 7, 2025. The timing of the final confirmation of these sentences was not specified, and reports indicate that while the families were awaiting the opinion of the Supreme Court, the death sentences were suddenly carried out.
Details regarding the individual status of some of those executed also intensify concerns. “Babak Alipour,” 34 years old and a law graduate, suffered from serious physical problems during his detention and was deprived of access to medical services. “Pouya Ghobadi Bistooni,” 34 years old, an electrical engineer and graduate of the University of Kurdistan, a calligrapher and Santur player, was a Kurdish citizen from the city of Sonqor in the province of Kermanshah. “Ali Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar,” 59 years old and a civil engineer, was arrested in his home in January 2024, and “Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi,” 60 years old and a survivor of the 1988 executions, had been held in solitary confinement for about a year.
The secret execution of death sentences, the failure to notify families and lawyers, and the existence of serious ambiguities in the judicial process are all signs of the violation of international human rights obligations. In the meantime, the ongoing risk of execution for two other prisoners in this case highlights the urgent need for action to stop the execution of the sentences and to guarantee their fundamental rights, including the right to life and access to a fair trial.
