Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentences of Three Political Prisoners in Ahvaz
5-June-2026
Category: Death Sentence
4 June 2026
News Category: Death Sentences
Breathing in Confinement: The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences of three political prisoners, Masoud Jamei, Alireza Mardasi, and Farshad Etemadifar, who are currently imprisoned in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Branch One of the Ahvaz Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Adibi-Mehr, tried the three prisoners in a joint case in July last year on charges of “spreading corruption on earth” (efsad-e fel-arz), “membership in the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MEK),” and “propaganda against the state.” Each was sentenced to two death sentences and one year of discretionary imprisonment.
Farshad Etemadifar, from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, was arrested in 2023 alongside two Arab citizens, Masoud Jamei (Bavi) and Alireza Mardasi (Hamidavi), in a joint case that also included Saman Hormatnejad and Davoud Hormatnejad.
In the same case, Davoud Hormatnejad was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, while Saman Hormatnejad received a sentence of 12 years’ discretionary imprisonment.
Following the announcement that Alireza Mardasi’s death sentence had been upheld, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations expressed concern over the possibility that these sentences may be carried out. Condemning what it described as an atmosphere of “intimidation, repression, and the intensified use of the death penalty,” particularly in the aftermath of recent developments and tensions, the council called for the immediate suspension of the issuance and implementation of death sentences.
In a statement, the organisation also emphasised the right to life and the necessity of adhering to the principles of fair trial and due process. It called on all opponents of capital punishment to act in a coordinated and united manner to halt the current trend and work toward the abolition of the death penalty.