Ramin Zaleh and Karim Maroufpour, two Kurdish political prisoners from Naqadeh County who had been sentenced to death in a joint case, were executed without informing their families and without being granted the right to a final visit.
According to Kolbarnews, in the early hours of Thursday, May 21, 2026, the death sentences of Ramin Zaleh and Karim Maroufpour were secretly carried out in the central prison of Naqadeh. These two political prisoners had previously been sentenced to death in connection with charges of membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
Simultaneously with the implementation of the sentences, the Judiciary Media Center, through the publication of a statement, confirmed the execution of these two prisoners and described the charges against them as “membership in separatist terrorist groups, armed uprising, and involvement in assassination attempts.” In contrast, human rights organizations and sources close to the case have stated that such accusations in political cases, particularly in Kurdistan, have repeatedly been raised under circumstances accompanied by reports of confessions extracted under pressure and the absence of effective access to defense rights.
Ramin Zaleh, a Kurdish political prisoner from Naqadeh, was arrested on July 22, 2025, by forces of the Intelligence Office and, after being transferred to the central prison of Naqadeh, remained in detention. After spending 507 days in detention and uncertainty, he was sentenced to death by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Mahabad, presided over by Judge Siyami, on the charge of “Baghi” through membership in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
According to available information, the court session for Ramin Zaleh’s case was held for only a few minutes after months of detention under restrictive conditions, and during the judicial process he did not have access to a lawyer of his own choosing. His death sentence had also been officially communicated to him in prison on December 6, 2025.
Karim Maroufpour, 29 years old and from Naqadeh, had previously been arrested on March 23, 2021, by security forces in Sardasht County. According to published reports, he was subjected to beatings at the time of arrest and was then held for a prolonged period under conditions of complete isolation from his family.
Karim Maroufpour was likewise sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Mahabad in a joint case together with Ramin Zaleh during the continuation of judicial proceedings.
At the time of compiling this report, no further information has been released regarding the details of the execution, the manner in which the families were informed, or the process of transferring the bodies.
