[69506] Iran executed two Kurdish prisoners for alleged involvement in "terrorist activities and armed rebellion"

Iran executed two Kurdish prisoners for alleged involvement in "terrorist activities and armed rebellion"

The judiciary of the Islamic Republic executed two citizens, Ramin Zaleh and Karim Marouf-Pour, this morning, Thursday, May 31, 2026. According to a report by the Mizan News Agency, which is affiliated with the regime's judicial branch, the two were executed on charges of "membership in separatist terrorist groups," "forming a group for the purpose of undermining national security," and "armed rebellion."

According to the authorities' version, as published by the Revolutionary Guards News Channel, the two confessed to shooting, possessing weapons, and attempting to assassinate a commander of the Revolutionary Guards base in the western part of the country. IRNA Agency added that the two acted as part of a clandestine infrastructure and received their weaponry from outside the country.

Conversely, human rights organizations and opposition media outlets present a different narrative. Iran International noted that these were Kurdish activists whose confessions were obtained under heavy pressure and in the absence of a fair legal process. Payam Iran Channel emphasized that the background of these arrests does not stand up to international legal scrutiny, and that it is an "execution machine" designed to silence protest voices among ethnic minorities.

In parallel to this case, Iran International also reported on another secret execution of two Iraqi citizens at Karaj Prison, which raises concerns among human rights organizations about a further escalation in the use of the death penalty in Iran following regional security tensions.