Kurdish Political Prisoner Anwar Khezri Executed After 14+ Years on Death Row

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Anwar Khezri, a Kurdish Sunni political prisoner was executed in Ghezelhesar Prison on 1 May.

Informed sources told IHRNGO that one of his two remaining co-defendants, Khosro Besharat, has also been transferred to solitary confinement and is at grave risk of execution in the coming days.

Anwar Khezri who was a Kurdish and Sunni minority, was arrested along with Ghasem Abasteh, Davoud Abdollahi, Ayoub Karimi, Farhad Salimi, Khosro Besharat and Kamran Sheikheh in January 2010.

They were interrogated in Urmia before being transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran. They were subsequently transferred to Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison in Karaj where they were held until its closure in August when they were transferred to Ghezelhesar Prison. An informed source previously told IHRNGO that the seven political prisoners were physically and psychologically tortured to extract forced confessions.

They were sentenced to death for charges of moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through “armed action and membership in a Salafi jihadi group” in a case with seven defendants by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court in February/March 2016. One of their charges related to the death of a Sunni cleric named Mamousta Abdolrahim Tina.

Anwar Khezri is the fourth defendant in the case to be executed in the last two months. Ghasem Abasteh was executed on 5 November 2023 and Ayoub Karimi was executed on 29 November. and Davoud Abdollahi was executed on 2 January 2024 and Farhad Salimi was executed on 23 January. They were all hanged in Ghezelhesar Prison in Karaj.

Khosro Besharat and Kamran Sheikheh are at grave risk of execution.