Iran Executes Two Kurdish Citizens and Two Iraqi Nationals Amid Rising Execution Wave

Peregraf — Iranian authorities have executed two Kurdish citizens from the city of Naqadeh in West Azerbaijan Province and two Iraqi nationals accused of espionage, according to Iranian state-affiliated media and human rights organizations. 

Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), identified the two Kurdish citizens as Ramin Zaleh and Karim Maroufpour. The agency described them as alleged "members of separatist terrorist groups" and said they were executed on charges including armed rebellion, disrupting national security, shootings, and attempted assassination.

Rights Group Reports Secret Execution of Iraqis 

Separately, the Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said Iranian authorities also "secretly" executed two Iraqi nationals at Karaj Central Prison near Tehran. The organization identified them as Ali Nader al-Obaidi and Fadel Sheikh Karim.

According to Hengaw, the two Iraqis had been sentenced to death in a joint case on accusations of spying for "one of the Arab countries in the region." The rights organization criticized the executions, saying the use of vague espionage charges and the lack of fair trials constitute "a flagrant violation of international conventions and the fundamental rights of the accused."

Executions Rise Amid Wartime Tensions

The executions come amid increasing scrutiny of Iran's use of the death penalty during and after the US-Israel War on Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. Human rights groups including the Center for Human Rights in Iran, Hengaw, and Iran Human Rights Monitor have documented between 25 and 35 political executions between late February and mid-May 2026. Rights organizations say Iranian authorities have accelerated executions, particularly against dissidents and minorities, during this period.

Amnesty: Iran Carried Out Most Executions Globally in 2025

Amnesty International reported on May 18, 2026 that Iran carried out at least 2,159 executions in 2025 — more than double the figure from the previous year and the highest number recorded in the country since 1981. Of the at least 2,707 executions documented across 17 countries that year, the vast majority took place in Iran, driving the global total to its highest recorded level since 1981. Human rights organizations have long accused Tehran of using executions as a tool of political repression, particularly against ethnic minorities, dissidents, and marginalized communities.