Iranian activists are warning that a top aerospace graduate student sentenced to death on espionage charges may face imminent execution after being transferred from Tehran’s Evin prison to Ghezel Hesar prison, a facility associated with executions.
Erfan Shakourzadeh, born in 1997, was arrested by the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence organization in February 2025 on charges of “espionage and cooperation with hostile countries.”
His death sentence was recently upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court after he reportedly spent nine months in solitary confinement before being transferred to Evin prison.
Shakourzadeh was a graduate student at Iran University of Science and Technology specializing in satellite technology.
He had previously studied electrical engineering at the University of Tabriz and was described by supporters as a researcher focused on satellite testing software and satellite control and positioning systems.
His case has drawn comparisons to the prosecution of other elite Iranian students on national security charges, including Sharif University student and international astronomy medalist Ali Younesi, whose 2020 arrest became emblematic of a widening crackdown on academically gifted young Iranians accused of links to hostile states or opposition groups.
Younesi is currently serving a 16-year sentence alongside fellow Sharif University student Amir Hossein Moradi after both were convicted on national security charges.
Aerospace, satellite and advanced engineering fields have become especially sensitive areas for Iranian security agencies amid years of cyber conflict, sanctions pressure and fears of foreign infiltration of strategic sectors.
Rights advocates have also raised alarm in recent months over the transfer of political and security prisoners to Ghezel Hesar prison, which has increasingly been used to hold inmates facing execution.
Iran has seen a sharp rise in executions this year as authorities tightened security controls after the January uprising and the subsequent conflict with the United States and Israel.
