At Least 87 Prisoners Executed in Iranian Prisons in One Month

The human rights organization "Hangaw" announced on Saturday, February 1, that at least 87 prisoners were executed in the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the past month (January). According to Hangaw, this figure represents an increase of at least 13 cases and 17.5% compared to the same period last year, when 74 prisoners were executed in January. Hangaw published this report based on statistics recorded in the organization's statistics and documents center. According to this human rights organization, the full identities of 82 executed prisoners have been verified, while the identities of 5 others are still under investigation. The report indicates that among the executed were 17 Kurdish prisoners, 10 Lor prisoners, and 4 Baluch prisoners, as well as 8 Afghan nationals. Hangaw noted that no executions of women or children under 18 years were recorded during this period. The organization states that of the 87 prisoners executed in January, only 3 cases were reported in official Iranian sources and websites affiliated with the judiciary. Additionally, the execution of 6 prisoners was carried out secretly, without informing their families or allowing them a final visit. According to the report, most of the executed, 50 cases, were related to "premeditated murder," while crimes related to "drug offenses" and "rape" followed. Hangaw reported that the highest number of executions, 20 cases, occurred in the prisons of Alborz province, followed by those in Fars, Kermanshah, and Hormozgan provinces. The article also mentions a hunger strike by Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb, protesting against the executions, inflation, and injustice, as well as calls from the Iran Human Rights Organization for the abolition of the death sentences of 6 political prisoners, and the transfer of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani to the death row section of Qazalhasar prison. The daughter of Shahrivar Bayat spoke to Voice of America, stating that their appeals have gone unanswered, and the father of the bereaved Mohammad Mehdi Karami has been sentenced to one year in prison.