Afghan national Tourat Mohammadi secretly executed on espionage charge in Karaj Central Prison

The Islamic Republic has secretly executed Tourat Mohammadi, a 42-year-old citizen of Afghanistan, on a charge of "espionage" in Karaj Central Prison. According to the human rights organisation Hengaw and Iran Human Rights, the sentence was carried out on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, without prior notice to his family or lawyer, and the news was published only days later.

According to these organisations, Tourat Mohammadi was from Mazar-i-Sharif and the father of four children. Before his arrest he worked for an organisation affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); he was arrested about two years ago and was interrogated for seven months in a detention centre of the IRGC Intelligence Organisation. He was transferred to Karaj Central Prison six days before the execution and was denied a last visit with his wife and children. It is still unclear which country he was accused of spying for.

Executions on espionage charges in 2026

According to KabulNow, citing human rights organisations, Tourat Mohammadi is the 16th person executed in Iran on espionage charges in 2026. Fourteen of them had been accused of spying for Israel or the United States. According to the same report, at least 24 Afghan nationals have been executed in Iran this year on various charges.

During the months of the war, espionage has become one of the most frequently used charges in the Islamic Republic's courts. Earlier, Mohammad Naderi, a political prisoner sentenced to death on an espionage charge, was transferred to Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj. Iran Human Rights had also reported that the number of recorded executions in the first nine months of 2026 had reached 604.

Concern about the trials of foreign nationals

Human rights organisations say foreign nationals, particularly Afghan migrants, have limited access to independent lawyers in the Islamic Republic's courts, the proceedings in their cases are not transparent and their death sentences are often carried out in secret. The families of many of these prisoners live in Afghanistan and are left uninformed about the fate of their loved ones.

After two years in detention, Tourat Mohammadi was executed in Karaj Central Prison without his family or lawyer being informed.

Sources

• IranWire
• KabulNow
• Afghanistan International