According to a report by the Kurdpa news agency, Ramin Zaleh was arrested in August 2024. Following a “minutes-long online trial” without access to a defense attorney of his choice, he was sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Mahabad Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Siami, on the charge of Baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in a Kurdish political party. His sentence was officially communicated to him on December 6, 2025.
Throughout all stages of his detention and interrogation, Ramin Zaleh was deprived of the right to contact or meet with his family, as well as access to a lawyer. The court had appointed a public defender for him, a lawyer unknown to his family. The family of this political prisoner was also subjected to pressure and threats throughout his detention of over a year to prevent them from publicizing his case.
Karim Maroufpour, 27 years old and a native of Naghadeh, was arrested in April 2021. Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, had previously listed the charges against both prisoners as “membership in secessionist terrorist groups” and “forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security.”
The executions of these two prisoners come as Amnesty International declared in its latest annual report that the Islamic Republic recorded the highest number of executions globally in 2025, with at least 2,159 executions. According to the organization, this figure is more than double the number recorded the previous year.
