On Thursday, May 21, the Iranian regime’s judiciary carried out the brutal execution of two Kurdish political prisoners, Ramin Zeleh and Karim Maroufpour, in Naqadeh Central Prison. Ramin and Karim had been incarcerated for two and five years, respectively, before being sent to the gallows.
The regime’s judiciary executed them under the pretext of “armed rebellion” and the “assassination of an IRGC commander,” accusing them of emptying two magazines into a military vehicle and filming the operation. To justify this state-sanctioned murder, the judiciary fabricated additional charges, including forming groups to disrupt state security and shooting.
In a new crime, the brutal regime of Iran executed two Kurdish political prisoners: Ramin Zeleh and Karim Maroufpour.
The news agency of the regime's judiciary announced that the reason for executing these two Kurdish compatriots was ‘forming a group with the aim of disrupting… pic.twitter.com/QVeBoKT9z1
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 21, 2026
Ramin Zeleh was arrested by Intelligence Ministry forces in August 2024 and, after approximately 507 days of detention and legal limbo, was sentenced to death. According to reports, his court hearing lasted only a few minutes and was held without the presence of his chosen lawyer. His death sentence was formally delivered to him in prison in December 2024.
Karim Maroufpour, 29, from Naqadeh, had previously been arrested in the city of Sardasht in April 2021. He was severely beaten at the time of arrest and held for a long period incommunicado and without contact with his family. He was ultimately sentenced to death alongside Ramin Zeleh in the same joint case.
A nationwide campaign of state terror
These latest killings are part of a massive, daily surge of executions designed by the ruling mullahs to instill fear within a deeply restless society. Between May 3 and May 13, at least 20 executions were recorded across cities like Birjand, Tabriz, Ardabil, Qazvin, Kermanshah, and Isfahan.
On May 13, the regime hanged 55-year-old rebel Mohammad Abbasi in Ghezel Hesar Prison for his role in the January uprising in Malard. Following brutal torture in Evin Prison’s notorious Ward 209, he was sentenced to death in a sham trial by the infamous “hanging judge” Abolqasem Salavati, completely denied an independent lawyer. In a staggering display of collective punishment, Abbasi’s daughter, Fatemeh, was sentenced to 25 years in Evin Prison’s women’s ward.
Oppressed minorities are heavily targeted in this crackdown. On May 12, Baluch political prisoner Abduljalil Shahbakhsh was executed in Zahedan Prison on fabricated charges of armed rebellion, inextricably linked to the September 30, 2022, Bloody Friday massacre. Furthermore, extrajudicial killings continue, with Ministry of Intelligence agents gunning down four Baluch compatriots on May 11.
The Iranian Resistance condemns these crimes and reiterates the urgent necessity to take action to prevent the intensifying wave of political executions in Iran. Furthermore, it is imperative that the regime’s human rights dossier be referred to the UN Security Council, ensuring that its leaders face justice for 47 years of crimes against humanity and genocide.