Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 30 September 2026: Tourat Mohammadi, an Afghan national on death row for espionage charges, was secretly executed in Karaj Penitentiary. Prior to his arrest, he worked for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was interrogated for months in an IRGC Intelligence detention centre. Tourat Mohammadi is the 16th individual to be executed on espionage charges in 2026.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Karaj Penitentiary (Central Prison) on 23 September 2026. His identity has been established as Tourat Mohammadi, a 42-year-old Afghan father of four from Mazar Sharif, Afghanistan.
An informed source told IHRNGO: "Prior to his arrest, Tourat Mohammadi lived with his family in the city of Qom. He was previously employed by an IRGC body. Tourat was arrested less than two years ago and spent seven months in an IRGC Intelligence detention centre. He was ultimately sentenced to death on charges of espionage, though it remains unclear precisely which country he was accused of spying for."
"Tourat was transferred to Karaj Penitentiary six days prior to his execution. His death sentence was carried out in complete secrecy without notifying his family, and he was deprived of the right to a final visit with his wife and children. His cousin is also currently on death row in Karaj Penitentiary on drug-related charges," the informed source added.
At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Article 35 of the Iranian Constitution grants defendants access to legal representation and Article 48 of the CCP provides for a suspect’s right to have a lawyer in the pre-trial phase. However, the Note to Article 48 limits this right during the investigation phase. In “cases of crimes against internal or external security, and in cases involving organised crime,” defendants are restricted to a list of lawyers approved by the Head of Judiciary. Consequently, by extending this deprivation of independent counsel beyond the initial investigation phase and throughout the trial and appellate stages, state authorities are acting in direct violation of Iran's own Constitution and the broader provisions of the CCP.
At least sixteen people have been executed for espionage charges in 2026. Fourteen were accused of espionage for Israel and the United States, and two Iraqi nationals were accused of espionage for an unknown Arab country.
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; two people were executed prior to the war, three 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. In 2026, two executions were carried out in January and thirteen of the executions for espionage have been carried out since the 40-Day War.