Ghezel Hesar

Ghezel Hesar prison, located near Karaj west of Tehran, became one of two documented sites for secret political executions under Ceasefire cover. At least 14 confirmed political executions took place at Ghezel Hesar and Qom Central Prison in 18 days, including Ali Fahim, a 23-year-old protest detainee executed on 6 April 2026 without family notification. Iran Human Rights Monitor documented the cases.

Ghezel Hesar (also transliterated Gohardasht) is one of Iran's largest and most notorious prisons. It houses thousands of inmates across general criminal and political detention wings. The facility gained international attention during the 1988 prison massacres, when thousands of political prisoners — primarily Mojahedin-e Khalq (MKO) members — were executed in a systematic campaign. It has repeatedly appeared in human rights reports from Amnesty International, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, and IHR as a site of torture, prolonged solitary confinement, and denial of medical care for political prisoners.

The pattern of secret executions at Ghezel Hesar during the 2026 conflict mirrors historical precedent: the Islamic Republic has consistently used periods of external threat or internal unrest as cover for clearing politically sensitive detention cases. The 1,008-hour internet blackout removed the main mechanism by which families and activists normally learn of executions through informal networks and social media.