Category: Reports

This report is the final article in a five-part series published by Spreading Justice, a project of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA). The purpose of this series is to expose individuals within the Iranian regime who facilitate and support serious human rights violations and breaches of international law.

Currently, the Spreading Justice database contains profiles of over a thousand individuals and entities implicated in such violations. This series of articles has not only introduced these individuals but also analyzed the positions they occupy, positions that perpetuate the institutionalized cycle of repression and human rights violations, and examines how and why these roles contribute to the reproduction of such abuses.

Under Iranian law, the general duties of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran^[1] are defined clearly. Although the law does not detail the specific responsibilities of a “County Law Enforcement Commander,” one can infer these duties based on the mandates of county governors and local security authorities.

According to Iranian law, the general mission and duties of the force include:

1. Establishing order and security and ensuring public and individual peace.
   
   
2. Confronting and continuously combating all forms of sabotage, terrorism, uprisings, and actions that disrupt national security, in cooperation with the Ministry of Intelligence.
   
   

This can be understood to include securing the environment for legal and authorized gatherings, organizations, demonstrations, and activities, as well as preventing and confronting unauthorized gatherings and protests and dealing with unrest, disorder, and illegal activities.

While the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for obtaining news and intelligence within its jurisdiction and cooperating with other intelligence bodies, it is required to immediately submit any political or security-related information encountered in the course of its duties to the Ministry of Intelligence after such information is gathered and compiled.

In addition, the Law Enforcement Command must, upon request, provide the necessary personnel to support the Ministry of Intelligence’s intelligence-gathering missions. These personnel are placed under the Ministry’s operational control, thereby directly linking the Law Enforcement Command to the activities of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Article 15 of the same law further provides that cooperation with other armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the Basij Resistance Forces, may take place when necessary and subject to coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Accordingly, given the role of the County Law Enforcement Commander and their institutional links to the County Security Council^[2], the County Governor, and other security and law enforcement bodies, directing local forces to carry out these responsibilities falls within the scope of the commander’s duties.

The County Law Enforcement Commander is also a member of the County Security Council, which may convene extraordinary sessions in urgent situations.

Case Study: Role of the County Law Enforcement Commander in Human Rights Violations

During the nationwide protests of 2022, at least three citizens were killed in the city of Sari alone. Dozens of other protesters were injured or arrested by security and law enforcement forces. Abdollah Hassanzadeh Moghaddam^[3], serving as the Law Enforcement Commander of Sari County and a member of the County Security Council, played a fundamental role in the violations of citizens’ rights committed by law enforcement forces in Sari.

Investigations by HRA at the time confirmed that law enforcement forces used pellet guns during the crackdown.

For example, Mohammad Javad Zahedi Saravi^[4] was killed in Sari during the suppression of protests by the pellet gunfire of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA). According to investigations that took place at the time, HRA found that four-pellet shotgun rounds (9 pellets) struck his head and internal arteries. In this case, the use of pellet guns by law enforcement is undeniable, and the forensic medical report confirmed that his death resulted from shotgun pellet impacts (multiple high-velocity projectiles causing perforations in the lungs, liver, and spleen, as well as hemorrhagic shock due to massive bleeding).

Such firearms are typically used in hunting, sport, and sometimes in warfare or law enforcement. HRA has also reported that, based on testimonies and credible video evidence, pellet wounds were not limited to the lower body of protesters, but also appeared on various parts of the body, from the face to the upper torso. This practice was not limited to the city of Sari.

Spreading Justice’s Information on Past and Current County Law Enforcement Commanders

^[1] Law on the Duties and Structure of the National Security Council, adopted on July 17, 1990, The Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles). Available at: https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/91805

^[2] Law on the Duties and Structure of the National Security Council, adopted on August 30, 1983, The Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles) . Available at: https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/90807

^[3] Spreading Justice, “Individual Profile: Abdollah Hassanzadeh Moghaddam”: [https://spreadingjustice.org/individual-violator/sj36762/](https://spreadingjustice.org/individual-violator/sj36762/)

^[4] HRANA News Agency, “The Case of Mohammad Javad Zahedi: Shotgun Ammunition Used by Security Forces Is Lethal” (19 October 2022), available at https://www.hra-news.org/2022/hranews/a-37331/

This report constitutes the third installment in a five-part series published by Human Rights Activists (HRA) through its Spreading Justice project. This publication, uniquely within the series, is produced in collaboration with HRA’s Pasdaran Documentation Project and examines local IRGC commanders. The series, Engines of Abuse, aims to shed light on the roles within the Iranian regime’s legal and security apparatus that enable and sustain serious human rights abuses and violations of international law. The Spreading Justice database currently contains profiles of more than a thousand individuals implicated in such violations. Beyond identifying these individuals, the series also analyzes how and why the positions they hold perpetuate the entrenched cycle of repression and abuse.

Although Iranian law outlines the general duties and organizational structure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the legal texts do not explicitly detail the full range of duties and powers of the Commander of the IRGC. However, by drawing on provisions within the IRGC Statute (1982)¹, the IRGC Employment Regulations Act (1983)², and the Disciplinary Regulations of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran³, the mandate, operational scope, and practical authority associated with this position can be inferred, and as such are laid out briefly below.

As the highest-ranking IRGC official at the county level, the County IRGC Commander plays a central role in implementing the IRGC security, cultural, social, and developmental missions. This geographic unit—variously referred to in official materials as a county or district constitutes the primary arena in which IRGC policy is translated into practice. The commander serves as the critical link between the Provincial IRGC Command and the operational ranks within local Resistance Districts and Bases, ensuring that IRGC directives are executed and adapted to local conditions.

Within this structure, the County IRGC Commander is also referred to as the Commander of the County Basij Resistance District. He acts as the IRGC’s official representative in the area and operates directly under the supervision of the Provincial IRGC Commander. According to the IRGC Employment Regulations Act, this position must be filled by a special Basij member or a permanent IRGC officer who meets the required standards of ideological commitment, technical competence, and operational experience. He is responsible for tasks across four domains: training, operations, discipline, and administration. In practice, this makes the County IRGC Commander not merely a coordinator but an active executor of IRGC strategy, entrusted with broad authority over all IRGC and Basij activities within the county.

Legal Basis for the County IRGC Commander’s Position

Article 94 of the IRGC Employment Regulations Act (1983)⁴ establishes that the commander of a Resistance District, equivalent to the County IRGC Commander, is responsible for leading and managing Basij units in training, operational matters, disciplinary enforcement, and administrative oversight. This article provides the legal foundation for the commander’s authority within the IRGC hierarchy.

Articles 35 and 36 of the IRGC Statute (1982)⁵ further define the Basij’s overarching objectives, including cultivating societal readiness to defend the Islamic Republic, conducting military and ideological training, organizing popular forces, supporting relief and development efforts, and safeguarding the Islamic Revolution.

Together, these provisions delineate the statutory framework that empowers the County IRGC Commander and embeds the role within the administrative, political, and military apparatus of the Islamic Republic.

Duties of the County IRGC Commander 

Drawing from the IRGC’s foundational documents, the commander’s responsibilities fall into several key categories:

1. Training Duties

The commander oversees the military, ideological, and security training of local Basij forces. He is responsible for ensuring training quality, developing skill-building programs, and enhancing the operational readiness of forces, consistent with Article 36 of the IRGC Statute⁶ and Article 94 of the Employment Regulations Act⁷.

2. Operational Duties

In routine situations, the commander prepares local forces for security and defense operations. In times of crisis or unrest, he assumes direct command, coordinating with the Provincial IRGC Command and the County Security Council to implement security, suppression, and defense plans.

3. Disciplinary and Administrative Duties

The commander enforces discipline, organizational order, and regulatory compliance within all subordinate units. Under the Disciplinary Regulations of the Armed Forces (1979), he is empowered to impose disciplinary measures. He also oversees administrative operations, personnel management, and financial affairs in accordance with IRGC directives.

4. Cultural and Social Duties

Article 2 of the IRGC Statute identifies safeguarding the Islamic Revolution, including through cultural and social interventions, as a core IRGC mission. At the county level, the commander directs Basij cultural programming, ideological campaigns, and public outreach. The commander works with state cultural and educational institutions to counter perceived “cultural threats,” maintain social control, and reinforce regime-aligned narratives.

5. Developmental and Service-Oriented Duties

Clause 6 of Article 36 of the IRGC Statute mandates Basij participation in national development efforts. The commander oversees Basij construction brigades, disaster response efforts, and poverty alleviation programs, coordinating closely with the County Governor’s Office and relevant executive agencies. In practice, these activities, when they are carried out, serve to strengthen the IRGC’s political and social influence at the local level.

Powers of the County IRGC Commander

The commander’s formal authorities, as outlined in IRGC regulations, include:

• Issuing operational, administrative, and disciplinary orders to all IRGC and Basij units within the county.
  
• Selecting or recommending commanders for local Resistance Districts and Bases, subject to provincial approval.
  
• Participating in County Security Council meetings as the IRGC’s official representative.
  
• Signing all official, financial, and disciplinary correspondence related to the Resistance District.
  
• Exercising disciplinary powers 

These authorities establish the County IRGC Commander as a fully empowered local military and security official capable of exercising substantial control over coercive, cultural, and administrative structures.

The IRGC Statute (1982), the IRGC Employment Regulations Act (1983), and Article 150 of the Constitution collectively situate the IRGC as the “guardian of the Islamic Revolution and its achievements.” Within this mandate, the County IRGC Commander plays a pivotal role. He serves as the primary executor of the IRGC’s mission at the local level, directing Basij forces, shaping security and cultural policy, and overseeing activities that directly affect the daily lives of residents. This authority has profound implications for human rights. During the nationwide protests of 2022⁸, for example, at least sixteen civilians were killed and many more injured or detained in Mahabad by IRGC, Basij, Special Forces (Yegan-e Vijeh), and other security units. Akbar Norouzi⁹, then serving as the County IRGC Commander and a member of the County Security Council, played a role in the violations perpetrated against the local population.

Throughout the protests, IRGC and Special Forces units deployed across Mahabad’s main squares and residential areas, conducting continuous armed fire against protesters and homes. This sustained military presence demonstrates the decisive role that IRGC command structures, and specifically County IRGC Commanders, play in orchestrating, enabling, and carrying out violent crackdowns on peaceful dissent.

By examining this position, the Spreading Justice series underscores how local IRGC leadership functions as an essential component of Iran’s machinery of repression, contributing directly to systemic patterns of rights violations and impunity.

Table of Former and Current County-level IRGC Commanders

_{*Note, this table also includes profiles from HRA’s Pasdaran Documentation Project. The Pasdaran Documentation Project maps the structure and documents the activities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).}

_{The database is the first of its kind, offering an overview of the IRGC’s organizational structure, its chain of command, and the historical context of its units and key individuals alongside an analysis of its behavior both inside of Iran and beyond. PDP utilizes a progressive data accumulation approach to document the IRGC. This methodology allows us to incrementally build detailed profiles on IRGC personnel and units. As new information becomes available, researchers update profiles, continuously refining our understanding of the IRGC’s extensive network. While our approach can result in some incomplete profiles, it allows us to cover the breadth of the IRGC’s activities, providing a broad and evolving view of its operations. Learn more here: https://iranpdp.org/about-us/}

Footnotes

1. Islamic Republic of Iran, “Statute of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” adopted 6 September 1982, https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/90595 ↩︎
2. Islamic Republic of Iran, “Law on the Employment Regulations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Qānun-e Moqarrarāt-e Esteʿdādmi-ye Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enqelāb-e Eslāmī),” adopted 21 Mehr 1370 (13 October 1991), https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/91961  ↩︎
3. “Iran: Disciplinary Regulations of the Armed Forces,” Shenasname-Law Database, https://shenasname.ir/defa/20714-%D8%A2%DB%8C%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%87-D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B6%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7%DB%8C-D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%AD ↩︎
4. Islamic Republic of Iran, “Law on the Employment Regulations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Qānun-e Moqarrarāt-e Esteʿdādmi-ye Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enqelāb-e Eslāmī),” adopted 21 Mehr 1370 (13 October 1991), https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/91961 ↩︎
5. Islamic Republic of Iran, “Statute of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” adopted 6 September 1982, https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/90595 ↩︎
6. Islamic Republic of Iran, “Law on the Employment Regulations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Qānun-e Moqarrarāt-e Esteʿdādmi-ye Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enqelāb-e Eslāmī),” adopted 21 Mehr 1370 (13 October 1991), https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/91961 ↩︎
7. “The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Guardian Council Research Center, https://www.shora-gc.ir/fa/news/4707/قانون-اساسی-جمهوری-اسلامی-ایران  ↩︎
8. Spreading Justice, “Akbar Norouzi,” Spreading Justice – Human Rights Violators Database, https://spreadingjustice.org/fa/individual-violator/sj08917/ ↩︎
9. Radio Farda, “IRGC and Special Units Deployed in Mahabad Squares; At Least Three Protesters Killed in Piranshahr and Javanroud,” published 21 November 2022, Radio Farda, https://www.radiofarda.com/a/32139820.html  ↩︎

This report marks the second in a series of five articles published by HRA through its Spreading Justice Project, dedicated to shedding light on the roles within the Iranian regime’s system that enable and sustain serious human rights violations, as well as violations of international law.

The Spreading Justice database currently contains over a thousand profiles of individuals and entities implicated in such abuses. This series aims not only to highlight who these individuals are and how the Spreading Justice project has documented their behavior, but also to examine how and why the positions they occupy perpetuate the entrenched cycle of repression and abuse. The series is published in the hope that a deeper understanding of the system of abuse will support ongoing efforts to hold Iran accountable and will also help shape recommendations for urgent reform.

Understanding the Judge for the Enforcement of Sentences in the Iranian Legal System

In Iran’s criminal justice system, the judge responsible for enforcing sentences (known as the Judge for the Enforcement of Criminal Sentences) plays a key role in implementing judicial rulings and overseeing the treatment of prisoners. This judge becomes involved after a person is convicted and begins serving their sentence, ensuring that the punishment is carried out as directed at sentencing. He also monitors the legal status and rights during imprisonment.

According to the Criminal Procedure Code passed in 2013 (1392)^[1], the enforcement of sentences of the incarcerated prisoners is the responsibility of the Prosecutor, and the “Department for the Enforcement of Criminal Sentences,” under his supervision and authority, undertakes this responsibility in jurisdictions designated by the Head of the Judiciary within the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Additionally, the Department for the Enforcement of Criminal Sentences, or one of its units, can, with the approval of the Head of the Judiciary, be stationed in prisons or correctional institutions. In judicial districts (bakhsh), the enforcement of criminal sentences is the responsibility of the Head of the Court for the Enforcement of Sentences.

The duties of the Judge for the Enforcement of Criminal Sentences, based on Article 489 of this code^,[2], are as follows:

• (a) Issuing orders for the enforcement of enforceable criminal sentences and supervising the manner of their execution
• (b) Supervising prisons in matters related to prisoners
• (c) Providing opinions on prisoners eligible for pardon and conditional release in accordance with laws and regulations
• (d) Granting leave to convicts based on laws and regulations
• (e) Making decisions regarding elderly convicts, individuals with mental illness or serious physical conditions, and other convicted persons in need of special care and attention, such as authorizing their hospitalization in medical centers in accordance with relevant rules and regulations
• (f) The performance of any other duties established by laws and regulations concerning the enforcement of punishments, or assigned to the Judge for the Enforcement of Sentences or the Prison Supervisor.

It is worth noting that according to Article 494 of the same code^[3], the process of enforcing a sentence begins upon the order of the Judge for the Enforcement of Criminal Sentences and cannot be halted unless explicitly stipulated by law.

Also, pursuant to Article 495 of the same Regulation, criminal judgments are executed by order and under the supervision of the Judge for the Enforcement of Sentences. In cases where, according to the law, the execution of a judgment must be carried out by ministries, governmental institutions and companies, public non-governmental organizations, or other bodies explicitly named by law, the Judge for the Enforcement of Sentences, while issuing the enforcement order and providing the necessary instructions, shall supervise the manner of execution and the actions taken by those entities.

Accordingly, the decision to carry out all sentences, including punishments such as execution, flogging, and amputation, is made by this judicial authority. Although the Judge for the Enforcement of Sentences does not determine the type of punishment (as this responsibility lies with the sentencing court), the final implementation of corporal punishments or the death penalty cannot proceed without the judge’s written order.  This is in direct contradiction with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights^[4], to which Iran is a state party, and which strongly prohibits cruel and inhuman punishments such as flogging and amputation.

According to HRANA’s Statistics Department, the denial of medical care for prisoners has a documented history. 2,057 cases of denial of medical care have been documented between November 2022 and November 2025.

Most recently, according to HRANA^[5], between September 16 and 25, 2025, three women, including political prisoner Somayeh Rashidi, along with Soudabeh Asadi and Jamile Azizi, died in Qarchak Prison due to a lack of medical care.

Or in another case, HRANA reported that Ashkan Fahim, a political prisoner held in Mahabad Prison, has been denied medical furlough or transfer to medical facilities outside the prison despite suffering from heart disease and severe vision impairment^[6]. According to this report, the Mahabad prison infirmary lacks even the most basic medical facilities. Therefore, based on the decision of the Judge for the Enforcement of Criminal Sentences to obstruct medical care for a sick prisoner constitutes a violation of the right to physical and mental health under Article 9 of the Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners ^[7], which states that “Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation.” It also contravenes the Nelson Mandela Rules^[8], particularly Rules 24, 25(1), and 27, which require prompt, adequate, and clinically independent medical care for all prisoners. This, among other internationally binding obligations.

Spreading Justice Database on Judges for the enforcement of the Sentences

^[1] “Iran Criminal Procedure Code (Ayin-e Dadresi Keyfari), Print Edition,” Ekhtebar (PDF), accessed 24 August 2025, https://www.ekhtebar.ir/wp–content/uploads/2014/05/قانون–آئین–دادرسی–کیفری–پرینت.pdf.

^[2] Mizan Online, “Duties of the Criminal enforcement Judge,” published 04 Shahrivar 1402 (≈ 26 August 2023), Mizan Online, https://www.mizanonline.ir/fa/news/4731299/%D9%88%D8%B8%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%81-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B6%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C.

^[3] “Iran Criminal Procedure Code (Ayin-e Dadresi Keyfari), Print Edition,” Ekhtebar (PDF), accessed 24 August 2025, https://www.ekhtebar.ir/wp–content/uploads/2014/05/قانون–آئین–دادرسی–کیفری–پرینت.pdf.

^[4] “International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” OHCHR, adopted 16 December 1966, accessed 24 August 2025, https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights.

^[5] Hrana, “Qarchak Prison in Varamin: Consecutive Deaths Due to Lack of Medical Care and Treatment Facilities”, 25 September 2025, https://www.hra-news.org/2025/hranews/a-56792/

^[6] HRANA, “Deprivation of medical care for Ashkan Fahim in Mahabad prison,” published 29 July 2025, HRANA, https://www.hra-news.org/2025/hranews/a-55774/

^[7] “International standards on the right to physical and mental health”, UN, https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-health/international-standards-right-physical-and-mental-health

^[8] “The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners”, UN, https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/Nelson_Mandela_Rules-E-ebook.pdf