Punitive transfer of death-row political prisoner Mehrab Abdollahzadeh to solitary confinement in Urmia Prison
Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a political prisoner sentenced to death, was transferred to solitary confinement by order of the head of Urmia Central Prison. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, after about three months of suspension, political and ideological prisoners in Urmia Central Prison were able to have in-person visits with their families. During this meeting, one of the soldiers behaved insultingly toward the prisoners’ families during inspection, which drew protest from Abdollahzadeh.
According to the same source, after the meeting ended and while returning to his ward, this political prisoner was punitively transferred in handcuffs and shackles to solitary confinement by order of Peyman Khanzadeh, the head of Urmia Central Prison.
Iran’s Regime Ramps Up Execution of Baluch Political Prisoners to Control Society
Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, born on March 15, 1998, in Urmia, was arrested on October 22, 2022, during the nationwide 2022 protest uprising at his workplace by agents of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and transferred to the detention facility of that body.
According to the report, he was subjected to physical and psychological pressure and torture for 38 days in the IRGC intelligence detention center to force him to confess to participating in the protests and the killing of a Basij member (a paramilitary force affiliated with the IRGC). However, informed sources say that in the video footage of the murder scene held by security institutions, there is no evidence of his presence, and he has consistently denied these accusations. According to an informed source, he rejected the charges at all stages of interrogation and in court and had requested an examination of his mobile phone’s location to prove he was not present at the scene.
Additionally, his family had no information about his whereabouts during the first 38 days of his detention, and he was denied access to a lawyer and family visits during this period.
After the interrogations ended, his case was referred to Branch 7 of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Urmia and then, with an indictment issued, was sent to Branch one of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Urmia. After three court sessions, this court issued a death sentence on September 19, 2024, which was officially communicated to him in prison on October 21 of the same year.
Following the protest by his lawyers, the case was sent to the Supreme Court and referred to Branch nine. On December 18, 2025, the enforcement judge, while notifying him of the confirmation of the death sentence, asked him to sign a request for pardon and clemency.
Ultimately, in mid-February 2026, the request for retrial of this political prisoner was rejected by the Supreme Court.
