{"id":335071,"date":"2025-08-02T15:41:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T14:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=335071"},"modified":"2025-08-02T15:41:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T14:41:25","slug":"who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is Behind Ghezel Hesar Prison\u2019s Brutal Crackdown on Iran\u2019s Political Prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_335072\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-335072\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-335072\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners.jpg\" alt=\"Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj \u2014 a unit known for housing some of the country\u2019s most resilient political prisoners\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners-746x420.jpg 746w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners-696x392.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-335072\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj \u2014 a unit known for housing some of the country\u2019s most resilient political prisoners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><em>Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">July 26, 2025, marked another violent and coordinated crackdown on political prisoners in Iran&#8217;s recent memory. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/ncri-statements\/statement-human-rights\/iranian-authorities-attack-unit-4-of-ghezel-hesar-prison-to-suppress-political-prisoners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">premeditated assault<\/a>, more than 100 heavily armed Special Guard forces stormed Unit 4 of Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj \u2014 a unit known for housing some of the country\u2019s most resilient political prisoners. This attack was led under the direct command of <strong>Allahkaram Azizi<\/strong>, the prison\u2019s notorious director, and <strong>Hassan Ghobadi<\/strong>, his deputy, with the full involvement of agents from Iran\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence, prison intelligence officers, and regular guards.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to eyewitness accounts from inside the prison, the operation targeted prisoners associated with the growing civil resistance campaign <a href=\"https:\/\/iran-hrm.com\/global-campaign-for-no-to-executions-in-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays.\u201d<\/a> In a bid to suppress this movement, inmates were violently beaten, insulted, hooded, shackled, and transferred to solitary confinement. Among the operatives named in the attack were <strong>Esmail Farajnejad<\/strong> (Deputy Prison Governor), <strong>Hossein Komrei<\/strong> (Head of Security), <strong>Mohammad Sabzeh-Makan<\/strong>, <strong>Rahim Feyzi<\/strong>, <strong>Ahmad Shirazi<\/strong>, and an officer identified only as <strong>Fallah<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shortly after this crackdown, two political prisoners \u2014 PMOI members <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/latest\/news\/2025\/07\/iran-horrifying-secret-executions-amid-mounting-political-repression\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani<\/a> \u2014 were executed. Another political prisoner, Saeed Masouri, was exiled to the notorious Zahedan Prison. This calculated sequence of violence and punishment underscores the regime\u2019s intensifying effort to crush any dissent behind bars.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Iranian Political Prisoner Saeed Masouri Exposes Systematic Preparations Behind Executions in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HA7WdRqUKc\">https:\/\/t.co\/HA7WdRqUKc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1929599978457927769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Allahkaram Azizi: Architect of Repression and Corruption<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Allahkaram Azizi, the director of Ghezel Hesar Prison, is widely recognized as the architect of a deeply corrupt and violent prison regime. <a href=\"https:\/\/iranfreedom.net\/%da%86%d9%87-%da%a9%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%86%db%8c-%d8%af%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d8%b9%d8%af%d8%a7%d9%85-%d9%88-%d8%b4%da%a9%d9%86%d8%ac%d9%87-%d8%b2%d9%86%d8%af%d8%a7%d9%86%db%8c%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%82%d8%b2%d9%84%d8%ad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Credible reports implicate<\/a> him in overseeing a system built on the physical and psychological torture of prisoners, the trafficking of industrial drugs within the prison, the sale of mobile phones at exorbitant prices, and the embezzlement of charitable donations intended for inmates.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Azizi\u2019s prison operations resemble a criminal cartel rather than a correctional institution. Under his command, Ghezel Hesar \u2014 which houses over 10,000 inmates \u2014 has become a symbol of systematic abuse, far removed from any accepted standard of prison management or international law. As a result, <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jy1155\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Azizi has been sanctioned<\/a> by the United States, the European Union, and Australia for gross human rights violations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Disturbingly, Azizi does not limit himself to administrative cruelty. Multiple reports confirm his personal presence at prisoner executions, including a video secretly recorded during the execution of five inmates at Gohardasht Prison. In it, Azizi is seen supervising the scene to its brutal conclusion, embodying the regime\u2019s strategy of instilling fear through direct and visible terror.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> News: Torture and Killing of Malekan Citizen Expose Systemic <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Violence?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Violence<\/a> of Clerical Regime<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/keC3BlpSxm\">https:\/\/t.co\/keC3BlpSxm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1858812463657234528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hassan Ghobadi: Enforcer of Violence<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hassan Ghobadi, Ghezel Hesar\u2019s deputy director and formerly a senior official at both Gohardasht and Evin Prisons, has played a direct and aggressive role in suppressing political dissent. He is specifically implicated in the beatings and torture of political prisoners and was a key figure in the execution of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Evidence also links Ghobadi to the forced <a href=\"https:\/\/wncri.org\/2025\/07\/19\/political-prisoners-in-qarchak-saeed-masouri\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deportation of Saeed Masouri<\/a> and to orchestrated violence in both Evin and Gohardasht prisons. His involvement in such acts further underscores the regime\u2019s use of prison officials not merely as jailers but as frontline agents of state repression.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fereydoun Farajnejad: &#8220;The Death Messenger&#8221; of Ghezel Hesar<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Perhaps the most chilling figure in the current prison hierarchy is <a href=\"https:\/\/iranhrs.org\/%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%86%DA%98%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%B2%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%9B-%D8%B4%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%87\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fereydoun Farajnejad<\/a>, the deputy health director of Ghezel Hesar. Described by inmates as a sadistic figure who refers to himself as a \u201cmessenger of death,\u201d Farajnejad has taken a lead role in both the physical and psychological torture of political prisoners.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among his most horrifying acts:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Psychological torment, including hanging dead rats in front of prisoners while telling them, <em>\u201cIt\u2019s easier to kill you than a rat.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Distributing white burial sheets to prisoners with the taunt: <em>\u201cYou will throw these over your own bodies.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Forcing methamphetamine use among healthy prisoners, particularly those with athletic builds, as a means of physical degradation.<\/li>\n<li>Operating a black market of drugs and mobile phones inside the prison, charging exorbitant prices, and using bribes to delay or accelerate executions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Farajnejad has also extorted families of prisoners by demanding bribes to prevent executions or arrange visits. Charitable donations meant to provide fruit or sweets to inmates are seized and sold in the prison\u2019s commissary for profit. Even access to basic legal communication is conditional on payment.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> : Leaked Official Document Reveal Inhumane Conditions in Prisons <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rjzdP7bDv2\">https:\/\/t.co\/rjzdP7bDv2<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HumanRights?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HumanRights<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1525241204048384001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 13, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">A Web of Systemic Abuse<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The collective actions of Azizi, Ghobadi, and Farajnejad form a network of systematic abuse at Ghezel Hesar Prison that violates international human rights treaties to which Iran is a signatory.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Violated International Standards Include:<\/h4>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/instruments-mechanisms\/instruments\/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)<\/a> \u2013 Articles 6, 7, 9, and 10:\n<ul>\n<li>Right to life (Art. 6)<\/li>\n<li>Prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (Art. 7)<\/li>\n<li>Right to liberty and security of person (Art. 9)<\/li>\n<li>Humane treatment of prisoners (Art. 10)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) \u2013 including:\n<ul>\n<li>Rule 1: Respect for dignity and value as human beings<\/li>\n<li>Rule 43: Prohibition of indefinite solitary confinement<\/li>\n<li>Rule 60-64: Right to communication, visits, and legal correspondence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Convention Against Torture (CAT) \u2013 although Iran has not ratified this treaty, the prohibition of torture is considered <em>customary international law<\/em> and universally binding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The events at Ghezel Hesar Prison are not isolated incidents but part of a coordinated and ongoing campaign of political repression through incarceration, torture, execution, and extortion. As political prisoners continue to be targeted for expressing dissent, international silence or inaction will only embolden the perpetrators.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The international community must act decisively to hold officials like <strong>Allahkaram Azizi<\/strong>, <strong>Hassan Ghobadi<\/strong>, and <strong>Fereydoun Farajnejad<\/strong> accountable through sanctions, initiating international investigations, and referring these cases to UN special rapporteurs and international tribunals.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The case of Ghezel Hesar stands as a stark reminder that the Iranian regime\u2019s war on freedom is being fought not only on the streets \u2014 but behind the closed, bloodstained doors of its prisons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three-minute read July 26, 2025, marked another violent and coordinated crackdown on political prisoners in Iran&rsquo;s recent memory. In a premeditated assault, more than 100 heavily armed Special Guard forces [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":335072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[244,276],"class_list":{"0":"post-335071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-human-rights","8":"tag-iran-political-prisoners","9":"tag-iran-human-rights"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Who Is Behind Ghezel Hesar Prison\u2019s Brutal Crackdown on Iran\u2019s Political Prisoners - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three-minute read July 26, 2025, marked another violent and coordinated crackdown on political prisoners in Iran&#039;s recent memory. In a premeditated Coordinated Raid Targets Political Prisoners Leading \u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays\u201d Campaign\u2014Followed by Executions, Torture, and a Massive Crackdown Directed by High-Ranking Prison Officials of the Ghezel Hesar Prison\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who Is Behind Ghezel Hesar Prison\u2019s Brutal Crackdown on Iran\u2019s Political Prisoners - NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Three-minute read July 26, 2025, marked another violent and coordinated crackdown on political prisoners in Iran&#039;s recent memory. In a premeditated Coordinated Raid Targets Political Prisoners Leading \u201cNo to Execution Tuesdays\u201d Campaign\u2014Followed by Executions, Torture, and a Massive Crackdown Directed by High-Ranking Prison Officials of the Ghezel Hesar Prison\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/human-rights\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-02T14:41:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amir Taghati\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amir Taghati\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amir Taghati\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f5834b14c69fd1db57474c1a6fd57c8d\"},\"headline\":\"Who Is Behind Ghezel Hesar Prison\u2019s Brutal Crackdown on Iran\u2019s Political Prisoners\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-02T14:41:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1008,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"iran political prisoners\",\"Iran Human Rights\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Iran Human Rights\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/\",\"name\":\"Who Is Behind Ghezel Hesar Prison\u2019s Brutal Crackdown on Iran\u2019s Political Prisoners - NCRI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/human-rights\\\/who-is-behind-ghezel-hesar-prisons-brutal-crackdown-on-irans-political-prisoners\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Ghezel-Hesar-Prison-in-Karaj-\u2014-a-unit-known-for-housing-some-of-the-countrys-most-resilient-political-prisoners.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-02T14:41:25+00:00\",\"description\":\"Three-minute read July 26, 2025, marked another violent and coordinated crackdown on political prisoners in Iran's recent memory. 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