Ghezel Hesar Prison — also spelled Qezel Hesar — is one of Iran’s largest and most notorious prisons, located near Karaj in Alborz Province, roughly 20 kilometres north-west of Tehran. It has become a focal point for international concern in 2026 following a series of politically motivated executions, including the hanging of an 18-year-old protester in April 2026.

Where is Ghezel Hesar Prison?

Ghezel Hesar Prison sits in the city of Karaj, Alborz Province, approximately 20 kilometres north-west of the Iranian capital Tehran. Established in 1964, the facility was initially used to house common criminals and drug offenders under the Pahlavi dynasty. Today it is one of the largest penal institutions in Iran, holding both general inmates and political prisoners across separate wings.

The prison operates under the jurisdiction of the Tehran Province Prison Organisation and has for decades been documented by human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights Monitor, as a site where prisoners face severe overcrowding, poor sanitation, denial of legal representation, and systematic physical abuse. Unlike the more widely known Evin Prison, Ghezel Hesar operates somewhat outside the international spotlight — a fact that critics argue has allowed serious human rights violations to continue with limited scrutiny.

A History of Political Repression

Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ghezel Hesar became a principal site for imprisoning political dissidents, particularly members of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI, also known as the MEK) and members of left-wing guerrilla groups such as the Fedayeen. During the Pahlavi era, political prisoners had largely been held elsewhere — in facilities controlled by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police — but after 1979 the new Islamic Republic reorganised the prison system to prioritise ideological control.

During the summer of 1988, Ghezel Hesar was one of several prisons across Iran where the so-called 1988 Massacre took place. In that wave of killings, thousands of political prisoners were put to death following summary trials that lasted only minutes. Survivors and human rights researchers have described this period as one of the gravest atrocities committed by the Iranian state against its own citizens, and calls for international accountability over the massacre continue to this day.

In subsequent decades, Ghezel Hesar continued to hold political detainees alongside the general prison population. Accounts from former inmates and human rights organisations consistently describe conditions that include beatings, prolonged solitary confinement, denial of family visits, and the withholding of medication. All of these practices constitute violations of international human rights law. To understand how the UK approaches prisoner welfare by contrast, see our guide to prisoners’ rights in the UK.

The 2026 Execution Crisis

In late March and early April 2026, Ghezel Hesar Prison became the centre of an accelerating wave of executions that drew worldwide condemnation. The sequence of events began on the night of Sunday 29 March 2026, when anti-riot guards raided Unit 4 of the prison — the ward housing political detainees — and transferred all 22 inmates to locations that remained undisclosed. Human rights organisations described this as enforced disappearance.

On 30 March, two members of the PMOI — Mohammad Taghavi and Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar — were executed at the facility. On 31 March, two further PMOI members, Pouya Ghobadi and Babak Alipour, were hanged. Then, on 2 April, a fifth execution followed: that of 18-year-old Amirhossein Hatami. Amnesty International warned that at least seven more protesters and dissidents remained at imminent risk of execution in the days that followed, with a prosecution official reportedly declaring that additional executions would take place “one each day.” The pace and secrecy of the killings led human rights monitors to characterise them as an attempt to silence political opposition under the cover of regional wartime conditions.

Amirhossein Hatami: The 18-Year-Old Executed

The case of Amirhossein Hatami drew particular attention from international observers. Hatami was arrested in January 2026 during protests that erupted in Tehran, and he was 18 years old at the time of his execution on 2 April 2026. Just 84 days elapsed between his arrest and his death. His sentence was issued on 9 February 2026 — fewer than 30 days after his arrest — following a trial that reportedly lasted only a matter of hours.

Hatami was convicted on the charge of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) for allegedly setting fire to a Basij militia base in Tehran. However, Amnesty International and other advocacy groups reported that his conviction rested on confessions he claimed were extracted through torture, including beatings, floggings, prolonged solitary confinement, and death threats at gunpoint. He was hanged at dawn at Ghezel Hesar Prison. Iranian state authorities did not confirm his death until after the execution had taken place, and his family was reportedly given no prior warning. Amnesty International described the trial as “grossly unfair” and his execution as “arbitrary.”

International Response and Ongoing Concerns

The executions at Ghezel Hesar in March and April 2026 prompted swift and widespread condemnation. Amnesty International issued emergency calls for a halt to further killings, describing the judicial process that led to the executions as fundamentally incompatible with international human rights standards. The National Council of Resistance of Iran issued repeated statements demanding international intervention, and human rights monitors noted that the disappearance of the 22 prisoners transferred from Unit 4 on 29 March meant that their fates remained unknown.

Several Western governments, including the United Kingdom, have historically raised concerns about Iran’s application of the death penalty, particularly in cases involving individuals who were under 18 at the time of the alleged offence, or where trials do not meet internationally recognised standards of fairness. Human rights groups continue to advocate for UN-level accountability mechanisms. For context on how different prison systems compare, see our overview of the UK prison population and the values underpinning the British approach to detention. Those seeking more general guidance on prisoner welfare in the UK can also consult our guide to visiting someone in prison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Ghezel Hesar Prison located?

Ghezel Hesar Prison is located in Karaj, Alborz Province, approximately 20 kilometres north-west of Tehran, the capital of Iran. It is one of the largest prisons in the country.

Why is Ghezel Hesar Prison in the news in 2026?

Ghezel Hesar Prison is in the news in 2026 because the Iranian authorities carried out a series of executions of political prisoners there, including the hanging of 18-year-old Amirhossein Hatami on 2 April 2026. Human rights organisations have condemned the executions as arbitrary and politically motivated.

Who was Amirhossein Hatami?

Amirhossein Hatami was an 18-year-old Iranian protester who was arrested in January 2026 and executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison on 2 April 2026, just 84 days after his arrest. Human rights groups state that his conviction relied on confessions extracted through torture and that his trial lasted only a few hours.

What type of prisoners are held at Ghezel Hesar Prison?

Ghezel Hesar Prison holds both general criminal prisoners and political detainees. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, it has been used to imprison political dissidents, including members of the PMOI and protesters from successive waves of civil unrest in Iran.

What has the international community said about Ghezel Hesar Prison?

Amnesty International, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and numerous other human rights organisations have condemned the conditions and executions at Ghezel Hesar Prison. They have called on the international community to take urgent action to halt further executions and to ensure accountability for human rights violations at the facility.