The Grim Reality in Iran's Death Cells: Torture, Executions, and a Father's Desperate Plea
Terror lingers within the execution chambers of Iranian clerics
By Lea Verstl
A Father's Ordeal
Mehdi Hassani, a taxi driver, once led a seemingly normal life in Iran with his family. Now, he lies on death row in Ghezel Hesar Prison, condemned without evidence for wanting freedom and a better society. His daughter, Maryam, shares her harrowing account of his ordeal in the torture chambers.
On September 6, 2022, Maryam last saw her father. For criticizing the Iranian regime, Mehdi was arrested and transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran. Afterward, a letter from the Iranian security authorities reached the family: Mehdi Hassani was in Ghezel Hesar, a notorious death cell prison in the province of Alborz.
According to a UN report, at least 975 people were executed in Iran last year, a figure that marks the highest number of executions since 2015. Many of these prisoners faced torture before their executions.
Brutal Conditions and Psychological Torment
In addition to physical torture, Mehdi Hassani endured severe psychological pressure to extract false confessions, Maryam reveals. Prison guards threatened him with harm against his family, even going so far as to threaten his eight-year-old brother with rape.
An Alarming Trend of Human Rights Violations
Ghezel Hesar Prison, along with other Iranian detention centers, is a site of ongoing human rights abuses marked by torture, denial of medical care, and a relentless surge in executions. The judiciary and security apparatus are accused of conducting sham trials lacking due process, often based on coerced confessions obtained through torture[2][1].
Executions on the Rise
Execution rates have soared dramatically in 2025, with at least 478 executions reported by late May 2025—a 75% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Ghezel Hesar Prison specifically saw the hanging of Pedram Madani on May 28, 2025, a case his family denounced as unjust[5].
Global Outcry and Continued Repression
International human rights groups and leaders have called on Iran to halt all arbitrary executions, investigate torture claims, provide medical care to prisoners, and release political detainees[1][2][3]. Yet, Iranian authorities persist in their repressive policies, including passing emergency legislation to impose harsh penalties on those accused of collaborating with foreign enemies[2].
A Father's Dream for a Free Iran
For Maryam Hassani, the Iranian regime convicted her father as a criminal with no evidence. Her father, a taxi driver, wished for freedom and a better life in Iran, a dream that was brutally snatched away on the day of his arrest.
Keywords:
- Iran
- Human Rights
- Executions
- Torture
- Ghezel Hesar Prison
- Amnesty International
- United Nations
Enrichment Data:
Overall:
The current human rights situation in Iran’s prisons, including Ghezel Hesar Prison, is grave and deteriorating, with widespread reports of torture, arbitrary arrests, and a sharp increase in executions.
Human Rights Violations and Torture:
- Iranian security forces have intensified repression inside prisons, including Ghezel Hesar. There are reports of torture, denial of medical aid, and violent attacks on injured detainees, exacerbating prisoners' critical conditions. The judiciary and security apparatus have been accused of conducting sham trials lacking due process, often based on forced confessions obtained through torture[2][1].
- Many detainees, including political prisoners and ethnic minorities, face fabricated national security charges such as espionage and collaboration with foreign adversaries. These charges usually lead to swift and unjust prosecutions and executions[2][1].
- There is also concern about secret prisoner transfers, raising fears of enforced disappearances[2].
Executions:
- Execution rates have surged dramatically in 2025. At least 478 executions have been reported by late May 2025, a 75% increase compared to the same period in 2024, with the pace showing no signs of slowing[3][5].
- In May alone, 157 inmates were executed nationwide, the highest monthly total so far this year. Executions target political prisoners, women, ethnic minorities (including Baluch, Kurdish, Ahwazi Arab, and Turkmen), and those accused of drug offenses and murder[5][3].
- Ghezel Hesar Prison specifically saw executions such as the hanging of Pedram Madani on May 28, 2025. Madani was charged with spying for Israel, a case his family denounced as unjust[5].
International and Domestic Response:
- Global human rights groups and international leaders have called on Iran to halt all arbitrary executions, investigate torture claims, provide medical care to prisoners, and release political detainees[1][2][3].
- Despite this, Iranian authorities continue their repressive policies, including approving emergency legislation to impose harsher penalties on those accused of collaborating with foreign enemies[2].
community policy should include measures to address the human rights violations in Iran's prisons, particularly Ghezel Hesar, including the prevention of torture, arbitrary arrests, and the surge in executions.
politics surrounding Iran's criminal justice system, as evidenced by the increased executions and torture, are a significant aspect of the general-news and crime-and-justice categories, given the international outcry and concerns over human rights violations.
