Iraqi Nationals Ali Nader Al-Obeidi and Fazel Sheikh Karim Hanged for Espionage in Karaj

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two Iraqi men were hanged in Karaj Penitentiary (Central Prison) on 6 April 2025. Their identities have been established as 27-year-old Ali Nader Al-Obeidi and 29-year-old Fazel Sheikh Karim, both from the city of Amareh in Iraq.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Ali and Fazel had been arrested in Karaj on charges of spying for the intelligence and security agencies of an Arab country. Prior to sentencing, they were interrogated for 11 months in a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility before being transferred to the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) intelligence ward at Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. They were transferred to Karaj Penitentiary for the implementation of their sentences.”

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

At least ten people have been executed for espionage charges in 2026. The eight other individuals were accused of espionage for Israel and the United States. According to IHRNGO’s 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, at least 13 people were executed for charges related to espionage for Israel. The surge began in the lead-up to the Twelve-Day War in June 2025; 2 people were executed prior to the war, 3 during the war and the remainder were executed after the war. It is important to note that in some cases, the defendants were not originally arrested for espionage charges. They were coerced and tortured into making self-incriminating confessions that were later used as the basis of their sentences.