Ramin Zaleh
Kurdish political prisoner secretly executed at Naqadeh Prison, Iran, on 21 May 2026.
Last refreshed: 21 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What pattern do the Naqadeh executions follow in Iran's wartime political prisoner register?
Timeline for Ramin Zaleh
Naqadeh dual, two Iraqis, a Turk at risk
Iran Conflict 2026- Who was Ramin Zaleh and why was he executed by Iran?
- Ramin Zaleh was a Kurdish political prisoner executed at Naqadeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan, Iran, on 21 May 2026. He was executed alongside Karim Maroufpour. The execution was documented by the Kurdish rights monitor Hengaw; no official announcement was made by Iranian authorities.Source: Hengaw
- How many political prisoners has Iran executed during the 2026 conflict?
- Hengaw has documented multiple execution clusters since the conflict began in February 2026, including a five-prison cluster on 13 May and a dual execution at Naqadeh on 21 May. The overall rate has accelerated relative to the pre-conflict 2024-25 period.Source: Hengaw
- What crime was Ramin Zaleh convicted of in Iran?
- Iranian authorities executed Ramin Zaleh at Naqadeh Central Prison on 21 May 2026 on charges described in security-related terms. Human rights monitors, including Hengaw, documented his case alongside that of Karim Maroufpour and raised concerns that the charges did not meet fair trial standards.Source: Hengaw 21 May 2026
Background
Ramin Zaleh was a Kurdish political prisoner secretly executed at Naqadeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan Province on 21 May 2026, documented by the Norway-based Kurdish rights monitor Hengaw . He was executed alongside Karim Maroufpour on the same day at the same facility; two executions at a single prison on one day represented the sharpest single-day escalation in the wartime political-prisoner register since the 13 May five-prison cluster documented by Hengaw at update 97.
Naqadeh is a city in West Azerbaijan Province, a predominantly Kurdish region of northwestern Iran. Political prisoners at Naqadeh Central Prison have been documented by Hengaw throughout the 2026 conflict period as part of a broader pattern of secretive executions of Kurdish prisoners on charges ranging from 'enmity against God' to arms possession. The wartime period has seen an acceleration in the rate of executions compared to 2024-25.
Zaleh's execution, like that of Maroufpour, was carried out without public announcement and without prior family notification, consistent with Hengaw's documentation of the broader pattern. He was a Kurdish political prisoner; the specific charges and duration of detention are not confirmed in Hengaw's public reporting.