Additional Name(s): سید صدرالله فاضلی زارع

Gender: Male

Current Location: Arak Prison

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Unspecified

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: Death

Date of Detainment: May//2020

Date of Death: May/8/2023

Current Status: Deceased

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Religious Figures) Expression about Religion Online Activity

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy

Seyyed Sadrullah Fazeli Zare

Extra Bio Info:

Seyyed Sadrullah Fazeli Zare was imprisoned and executed on blasphemy-related charges.

In May 2020, authorities arrested Zare after accusing him and others of being a member of a Telegram channel entitled "Critique of Superstition and Religion." Members of the group allegedly expressed opinions insulting to religion, including the Prophet Muhammad. One member was said to have set religious books on fire. Zare was transferred to Arak Prison. He was reportedly held in solitary confinement for two months after his arrest and was denied family visits and phone calls eight months after his arrest.

In April 2021, it was reported that Branch 1 of the Arak Criminal Court had sentenced Yusef Mehrdad and another unnamed individual - later revealed as Seyyed Sadrullah Fazeli Zare - to death for "insulting Islamic sanctities" (Art. 513 IPC) and "insulting the Prophet" (Art. 262 IPC).

In May 2023, Zare was reportedly moved into solitary confinement in preparation for his imminent execution. However, following international outcry, he was moved back into the general prison population. 

On May 8, 2023, Zare was executed.

Zare was reportedly the caretaker of his elderly mother.

Related Cases: Yusef Mehrdad