Report on the Execution of Three Prisoners in Ardabil Prison

Breathing in Confinement, Saturday, 15 August 2026: The death sentences of at least three prisoners who had previously been arrested in separate cases on charges of “murder” and sentenced to death by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran were carried out in Ardabil Prison.

According to reporters from Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, the death sentences of two prisoners were carried out in Ardabil Prison at dawn on Tuesday, 11 August. The identities of the two prisoners have been confirmed as Mehrdad Sahebi and Nader Sheikhlou.

The Rokna News Agency also reported the execution of another prisoner in Ardabil Prison but did not identify him in its report. Breathing in Confinement has identified the prisoner as Hamed Jahani Kallehsar. According to information obtained, his death sentence was carried out in Ardabil Prison on 6 August. Hamed Jahani Kallehsar had been arrested eight years earlier and sentenced to death for the murder of his wife, Zahra, who was stabbed to death in Bahar Alley in Ardabil. At the time, a video purportedly showing the scene of the woman’s killing was widely circulated and received extensive media coverage.

Mehrdad Sahebi, a 22-year-old resident of Ardabil, was arrested approximately three years ago, when he was 19, following an altercation at a billiards club. He was subsequently charged with “murder” and sentenced to death by the judiciary.

Nader Sheikhlou, 28, who worked at an auto body repair and paint shop, was arrested approximately four years ago following an altercation that, according to available information, unintentionally resulted in the death of another person. He was charged with “murder” and sentenced to death.

The death sentences of Mehrdad Sahebi and Nader Sheikhlou were carried out at dawn on Tuesday, 11 August, in Ardabil Prison.

No official announcement
At the time of publication, no official sources had announced the execution of the 2 above-mentioned prisoners.

Annual report on executions in Iran
According to the annual report of the Statistical Centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, between March 2025 and March 2026, at least 2,616 individuals were executed in Iran. Of these, 12 executions were carried out in public. The executed individuals included 67 women and 8 juvenile offenders.