Eight Executed in Iran Within Days

The judiciary of the provinces of Fars, Hormozgan, and Kerman has reported the execution of eight individuals accused of "mischief," "murder," and "drug trafficking." The official website of the Hormozgan judiciary announced on Sunday, December 29, the execution of five "armed miscreants" and "drug traffickers" at the central prison of Bandar Abbas. The charges against these five, whose identities have not been disclosed, include trafficking "243 kilograms of various drugs" and possessing "large amounts of weapons and ammunition." The death sentences for these individuals were confirmed by Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the first deputy of the judiciary. The official website of the Fars judiciary also reported the execution of two "armed thieves" on Sunday in the "Koozeh Gari" square of Shiraz. The abbreviated identities of the executed individuals were reported as "Mojtaba R.," 30 years old, and "Nemat J.," 26 years old, with charges of "waging war through committing five armed robberies." Masoud Moazollahi, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Kahnuj in Kerman province, also reported the execution of an individual with the abbreviated identity "A. B." for the murder of a police officer in the county. Moazollahi stated that the execution of this individual was carried out on December 25 in the central yard of Kerman prison. These executions took place just three days after the United Nations General Assembly expressed concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran in a resolution that received positive votes from 81 countries. According to AFP, at least 800 people have been executed in Iran this year for various charges. "Drug traffickers," "armed robbers," and those convicted of murder are at the top of the list of executions in Iran. Judicial officials have stated that currently, over 75% of the prison population in Iran consists of individuals accused of drug-related offenses. The continuation of drug traffickers' executions and the deterrent nature of such punishments in Iran have been questioned by some experts and officials in recent years. In this context, on December 17 of this year, it was announced that 70 members of parliament have proposed a bill to replace "the death penalty for drug traffickers with life imprisonment." This bill has been submitted to the legal and judicial commission of the parliament, and if it is finally approved by higher authorities, the execution rate in Iran will significantly decrease.