Common Questions

Who was Ali Fahim and why was he executed?: Ali Fahim was an Iranian protest detainee executed at Ghezel Hesar prison in April 2026, the fourth execution in a single protest-related case; he had been arrested during demonstrations following the outbreak of the 2025-26 conflict and executed without prior family notification.Source: Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights
How many political prisoners has Iran executed since the war started?: Hengaw counts 17 political prisoners executed since 28 February 2026 when the Iran war began, with a Q1 2026 total exceeding 160 executions. The war-era tally reached at least 404 by April 2026.Source: https://hengaw.net/en
What is Ghezel Hesar Prison?: Ghezel Hesar Prison (also Qezel Hesar) is a large prison complex in Karaj, Iran, used extensively to hold protest-era detainees. It has been the site of multiple secret executions of political prisoners, often without prior notice to families.Source: https://hengaw.net/en
Are the other defendants in the Ali Fahim case still alive?: As of 24 April 2026, three co-defendants, Shahab Zahdi, Abolfazl Salehi Siavoshani, and Yaser Rajaeifar, remain in solitary confinement at Ghezel Hesar facing imminent execution, according to Hengaw.Source: https://hengaw.net/en
How many political prisoners has Iran executed since the 2026 war began?: Hengaw documented at least 17 political executions between 28 February and late April 2026; Iran HRM recorded 13 in the 18-day period from 19 March to 6 April alone, with a Q1 2026 total exceeding 160 executions.Source: Hengaw / Iran Human Rights Monitor
Are Ali Fahim's co-defendants still alive?: As of 24 April 2026, three co-defendants — Shahab Zahdi, Abolfazl Salehi Siavoshani and Yaser Rajaeifar — remained in solitary confinement at Ghezel Hesar prison facing imminent execution, per Hengaw.Source: Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights
Why is Iran executing protest detainees during wartime?: Iranian courts have used the combination of wartime emergency, internet blackout, and a 'maximum decisiveness' judicial directive to accelerate proceedings against protest detainees arrested during anti-war demonstrations; the pattern mirrors the post-Mahsa Amini execution campaign of 2022.Source: Hengaw / Iran HRM analysis

Background

Ali Fahim was confirmed executed at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj on 20 April 2026, the fourth execution in a single protest-related case, according to Hengaw. His family received no prior notice, consistent with the judiciary's pattern of secret wartime executions. He had previously been named in Iran HRM documentation of 13 political executions carried out in the 18 days between 19 March and 6 April 2026, during which Iran's internet blackout provided cover for the authorities.

Fahim was a protest detainee, arrested during demonstrations that followed the outbreak of the 2025-26 conflict. His case is part of a pattern established during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, when Iranian courts used wartime and unrest to clear protest-related cases through summary proceedings. By 24 April 2026, three co-defendants in his case — Shahab Zahdi, Abolfazl Salehi Siavoshani and Yaser Rajaeifar — remained in solitary confinement at Ghezel Hesar facing imminent execution. Hengaw's running total had reached 17 political executions since 28 February 2026, and a Q1 2026 total exceeding 160.

Fahim's individual case is documented but represents a wider phenomenon: the convergence of battlefield deaths, civilian casualties, and domestic political executions under internet blackout makes independent verification deliberately difficult. The eight wartime protest-era detainees whose executions Hengaw confirmed share a common pattern — arrest during demonstrations, moharebeh or similar charges, Supreme Court upholding the sentence, secret execution without family notice. Erfan Kiani's execution on 25 April 2026 extended that pattern to eight.

How the World Sees Them

Iranian diaspora

Each named victim becomes a focal point for diaspora activism; Fahim's case and those of his co-defendants amplify pressure on international human rights bodies to act.

Iran (government)

No acknowledgement; executions conducted under internet blackout without family notice, consistent with policy of deniable wartime clearance of protest-era detainees.

Western governments

Condemnations issued but diplomatic leverage is limited while nuclear talks and Hormuz governance dominate bandwidth; no state has linked Iran ceasefire negotiations to the execution programme.

International human rights

IHR and Amnesty International documented cases; ceasefire period executions labelled a deliberate use of conflict cover.

International human rights bodies

Hengaw and Iran HRM systematically document cases; the internet blackout is explicitly identified as a mechanism for reducing outside scrutiny during the execution campaign.