‘Bloody Saturday’ in Ghezel Hesar: Testimony from Political Prisoners Expose Brutal Assault and Executions by Iranian Authorities

Firsthand letter reveals coordinated attack, beatings, and execution of two political prisoners: ‘We’ll kill every last one of you sons of whores!’

August 11, 2025 — The following letter, authored by a group of political prisoners in Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison, provides a rare and urgent firsthand account of extreme violence and serious human rights violations committed by Iranian authorities on July 26, 2025.

According to the survivors’ testimony, state agents—acting under the command of senior prison and intelligence officials—carried out a coordinated and violent raid on a political ward in Ghezel Hesar. Prisoners were subjected to severe physical assault. Two individuals, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, were subsequently executed, in what appears to have been a retaliatory act of killing.

The events described constitute grave breaches of international law and reflect a broader pattern of violent and systematic state abuse in the Islamic Republic targeting individuals imprisoned for their political beliefs or peaceful activism.

This account, published on August 11, 2025, exposes not only the lawless conduct of prison authorities in the Islamic Republic but also the profound vulnerability of political prisoners in Iran, who are routinely denied basic legal protections and subjected to arbitrary violence, including torture and the denial of critical medical care, and increasingly, execution. It underscores the urgent need for independent international investigations into the treatment of detainees in Iran, and for sustained international pressure on the Iranian government to uphold its clear and binding obligations under international human rights law, including full adherence to the UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) calls on all relevant UN bodies and governments worldwide to treat this testimony as a critical piece of evidence and take immediate and concrete steps to advance accountability for these criminal acts, and to demand protection for prisoners and an end to these unlawful practices in the Islamic Republic.

As written in the letter:

“Silence over the ‘Bloody Saturday of Ghezel Hesar’ will pave the way for wider executions—of political and ideological prisoners, and even ordinary citizens now facing death sentences simply for taking photos or engaging in civic activism.”

The full letter follows:

To All Consciences That Remain Awake

We, the surviving political prisoners, bear witness to what happened on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Ghezel Hesar Prison—a day that was not only bloody, but unprecedented in its cruelty, humiliation, and blatant violation of human rights in this country’s modern history.

On that day, all our most fundamental rights—from the right to life to the right to dignity, health, and fair trial—were trampled openly and violently.

Background

Before this day, there were 20 political prisoners in Ward 20/3, Unit 4. After this day, two of our cellmates—Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani—were unjustly murdered by hanging. Before their execution, they had no access to lawyers and no fair trial; according to the explicit statement of the former head of Prosecutor’s Office Branch 33, this denial was deliberate and official. Their testimonies, given just hours before their executions, form part of this account.

We offer our condolences to the families of these two beloved individuals, and to all families seeking justice in this land, and we share in their grief.

The Raid Begins

At 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, several plainclothes agents entered the ward under the pretext of “checking the water outage.” This seemingly routine entry was in fact the prelude to an assault. Moments later, more than 50 masked agents and several unmasked ones entered the hall, including:

• • Esmaeil Faraj-Nejad (Deputy Head of “Health” at Ghezel Hesar Prison)
  • Kamrei (Head of Prison Intelligence Protection)
  • Ashraf-Abadi (Prison Intelligence Protection official)
  • Ghasem Sahraei (Deputy Officer of Unit 3)
  • Mohammadi (Prison Finance Deputy)

The scene was commanded by Esmaeil Faraj-Nejad, while the suppression forces were commanded by Ghasem Sahraei—who, from the moment he entered, hurled vile sexual insults and incited the agents to beat and even kill the political prisoners. Sahraei, who often flaunted his devotion to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, shouted in the hall: “We’ll kill every last one of you sons of whores!”

Beatings and Torture

The masked agents attacked the prisoners with punches, kicks, batons, and insults. Those near the front of the hall or stepping out of their cells were immediately surrounded. Several agents tied prisoners’ hands behind their backs, dragged them out, and slammed them against the main corridor wall. Outside the hall, masked agents lined the way all the way to the Unit 4 exit.

Within minutes, several of our fellow inmates—Khosrow Rahnama, Ali Moezi, Mohammad Shafiei, Reza Salmanzadeh, Mostafa Ramazani, Reza Mohammadhosseini Taameh, Arsham Rezaei, Mehdi Hassani, Behrouz Ehsani, Abolhassan Montazer, Akbar Bagheri, Asadollah Hadi, and Zartosht Ahmadi Ragheb—were handcuffed and dragged out amid violence and verbal abuse.

Sahraei repeatedly slapped Reza Mohammadhosseini, Arsham Rezaei, and others whose hands were tied, and kicked them from behind.

• • Arsham Rezaei: Kicked in the back, causing blood in his urine that stained his undergarments for days.
  • Asadollah Hadi (68 years old, heart patient): Sustained heavy swelling on his forehead from a blow.
  • Akbar Bagheri: Thrown to the ground while handcuffed; a doctor confirmed meniscus injury to his knee.
  • Reza Salmanzadeh: Slammed against a wall despite having undergone several surgeries.

Inside the Hall

Political prisoner Saeed Massouri, serving 25 years, was dragged out by the collar by Esmaeil Faraj-Nejad.

When the slogan “Death to the Dictator” was heard from the back of the hall, Ahmadreza Haeri shouted:

“What is this savagery? If you want to search the hall, say so like a human being—we would have all stepped out!”

The suppression commander’s response was to punch and slap him repeatedly. Ahmadreza saw Loqman Aminpour being beaten by several agents; Hamzeh Sorai rushed to help but was also beaten to the ground. Both were stripped partly, handcuffed from behind, and dragged out. Hamzeh’s left toenail broke and turned black; on August 8, it was removed in the infirmary due to infection. Ahmadreza Haeri was sent to the infirmary four times.

Loqman Aminpour, Meysam Dehbonzadeh, and Sepehr Emamjomeh were also savagely beaten, emerging with torn clothes and visible injuries. Sepehr’s glasses were broken, boot marks remained on Meysam’s neck, and Loqman’s wounds were visible.

Confinement and Transfer

All 20 of us were taken barefoot, in torn and bloodied clothes, to the ward exit. The doors of all other Unit 4 halls were locked so that over a thousand other prisoners, and even infirmary and cultural staff, would not witness the scene.

As we were led past the Unit Head’s office, agents hurled insults, slapped us, and mocked us. Plainclothes officers—likely from the Ministry of Intelligence—were present. We heard two vehicles arrive.

Elderly and cane-using Ali Moezi, shackled, was the first to be loaded into a minibus, followed by others, including Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani. Behrouz, his white hair falling over his forehead, said: “You’re the ones who will be gone soon—so do whatever you want now.”

From three steps above, Sahraei struck Behrouz’s head and neck with full force, several times, then shouted: “Yeah, we’ll be gone—but before that, we’ll finish every last one of you!”

Separation and Execution

Behrouz was taken to a van. Seeing this, Mehdi Hassani came forward from the back of the bus and shouted repeatedly: “I am Mehdi Hassani.” A masked agent came and pulled him off too. Shortly before, Saeed Massouri had also been removed.

We thought this was retaliation for the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign [a peaceful weekly campaign protesting unlawful executions in prisons across Iran that has continued over the last year and a half] and resistance against Massouri’s transfer. But we quickly realized this was the prelude to executions.

In the special ward of Unit 1, Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani were executed without delay. We learned of it five days later.

Even ISIS never treated its victims like this.

After Returning

When we returned to the hall, some of our Qur’ans had been torn and thrown on the cell floor. Yet even this desecration paled in comparison to the stripping away of the right to life and the humiliation of Behrouz and Mehdi in their final moments.

Responsibility and Warning

We hold the senior intelligence and judicial authorities directly responsible for these crimes. Silence over the “Bloody Saturday of Ghezel Hesar” will pave the way for wider executions—of political and ideological prisoners, and even ordinary citizens now facing death sentences simply for taking photos or engaging in civic activism.

No to executions. No to torture. No to state killings.

We, the survivors of the “Bloody Saturday of Ghezel Hesar,” will go on hunger strike tomorrow, Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in the 81st week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, in memory of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani.

This testimony has been written with accuracy and honesty, and it warns all awake consciences: 

Silence makes you complicit.

Surviving Political Prisoners of the ‘Bloody Saturday of Ghezel Hesar’

Unit 4, Ghezel Hesar Prison

Monday, August 11, 2025