Karim Maroufpour
Kurdish political prisoner secretly executed at Naqadeh Prison, Iran, on 21 May 2026.
Last refreshed: 21 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What makes the Naqadeh dual execution different from prior wartime political executions?
Timeline for Karim Maroufpour
Naqadeh dual, two Iraqis, a Turk at risk
Iran Conflict 2026- Who was Karim Maroufpour?
- Karim Maroufpour was a Kurdish political prisoner executed alongside Ramin Zaleh at Naqadeh Central Prison in Iran's West Azerbaijan Province on 21 May 2026. The execution was documented by Hengaw without prior public announcement by Iranian authorities.Source: Hengaw
- Why was Karim Maroufpour executed in Iran?
- Karim Maroufpour, a Kurdish Iraqi national, was executed at Naqadeh Central Prison on 21 May 2026. He had been held on charges Iranian authorities described as security-related. Human rights monitors including Hengaw documented his case as part of a dual execution alongside Ramin Zaleh.Source: Hengaw 21 May 2026
- What did Hengaw report about the Naqadeh executions on 21 May 2026?
- Hengaw, a Kurdish human rights organisation, documented that two men, Karim Maroufpour and Ramin Zaleh, were executed at Naqadeh Central Prison on 21 May 2026. Hengaw also reported that a Turkish national, Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, remained at imminent risk of execution at the same facility.Source: Hengaw 21 May 2026
Background
Karim Maroufpour was a Kurdish political prisoner secretly executed at Naqadeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran, on 21 May 2026, documented by Hengaw . He was executed alongside Ramin Zaleh; two simultaneous executions at one facility in a single day marked the sharpest escalation in the wartime political-prisoner register since the 13 May five-prison cluster.
Naqadeh Central Prison is located in a predominantly Kurdish region of northwestern Iran. Hengaw has tracked political executions at this and other facilities throughout the 2026 conflict as part of a broader pattern of secret executions of Kurdish prisoners without family notification or public announcement. The charges typically referenced in this pattern include 'enmity against God' and arms-related offences.
Hengaw documented both executions in its English-language register within hours. No official Iranian announcement was made. The Naqadeh dual execution coincided with the first documented executions of foreign nationals (Iraqi) in the 2026 conflict, on the previous day.