Common Questions

Where is Dastgerd Prison in Iran?: Dastgerd Prison, also called Isfahan Central Prison, is located in Isfahan province, Iran's third-largest city, in the centre of the country.Source: Hengaw
What executions took place at Dastgerd Prison in 2026?: Sasan Azadvar, a 21-year-old karate champion arrested in the January 2026 protests, was executed at Dastgerd at dawn on 30 April 2026; he was the tenth January 2026 protester executed during the wartime period.Source: Hengaw
Why is Dastgerd Prison used for political executions in Iran?: Dastgerd is Isfahan province's main detention facility and has held political prisoners since the 2009 Green Movement; its size and central role in the provincial justice system make it the default facility for Isfahan-origin political cases.Source: Hengaw

Background

Dastgerd Prison, also known as Isfahan Central Prison, was the site of Sasan Azadvar's execution at dawn on 30 April 2026. Azadvar, 21, a karate champion arrested during the 9 January 2026 protests, was the tenth protester from the December 2025 and January 2026 demonstrations to be executed during the Iran-conflict wartime period . His execution at Dastgerd was confirmed by Hengaw and Iran Human Rights within hours.

Dastgerd Prison is a large detention facility in Isfahan province, serving Iran's third-largest city and its surrounding region. It holds both criminal and political detainees. The facility came to wider international attention during the 2009 Green Movement, when political prisoners were transferred there in significant numbers. During the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, Dastgerd held Isfahan-based demonstrators; the wartime 2026 protest cohort represents its third prominent political-detention cycle in under two decades.

Isfahani political prisoners at Dastgerd during the 2026 wartime period have faced an effective communications blackout under Iran's 60-day internet shutdown. Hengaw's documentation — based on family contact and court records — has been the primary external channel for tracking execution dates, charges, and conditions. Isfahan's position as Iran's historic cultural capital means international attention to Dastgerd executions carries symbolic weight beyond the immediate case .

Source Material

Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights

How the World Sees Them

Iran

Iranian authorities treat Dastgerd as a standard provincial facility; executions there are not officially distinguished from those at other prisons.

Iranian civil society

Isfahan's historic identity as a cultural capital heightens domestic symbolic resonance of political executions at the city's central prison.

International human rights

Hengaw and Iran HR have prioritised Dastgerd in their wartime documentation because Isfahan's cultural prominence amplifies international attention to cases there.