Execution of 11 Prisoners in Various Cities of Iran

Human rights sources reported on Tuesday, December 4, that at least three prisoners were executed by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the prisons of Shiraz, Rasht, and Golestan. Additionally, a human rights organization reported the execution of eight individuals in Qazalhesar prison in Alborz province. According to human rights sources, a prisoner identified as Hassan Saadati, 47 years old, was executed on Tuesday in connection with drug-related crimes at Rasht Central Prison, also known as Lakan Prison. Furthermore, on Monday, December 3, the judicial authorities executed another prisoner identified by human rights sources as Mousa Ahmadian, 45 years old, in connection with drug-related crimes at Golestan Central Prison. The execution of prisoners in connection with drug offenses has steadily increased over the past four years by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic, with the Iran Human Rights Organization reporting an 84% increase in executions last year compared to the previous year, reaching '471 executions.' This statistic includes cases that the human rights organization has managed to document, and given that official execution statistics are not announced by the authorities of the Islamic Republic, it is likely that more prisoners have been executed in various prisons in Iran in connection with drug offenses. Meanwhile, according to reports from HRANA and the Iran Human Rights Organization, another prisoner named Peyman Zarei, 27 years old, was executed for 'premeditated murder' at Shiraz Central Prison, also known as Adelabad. The execution of Peyman Zarei took place on Sunday, December 2, but the news was not reported by Iranian media or official sources of the Islamic Republic. The Iran Human Rights Organization noted that the issuance and execution of the death penalty under the title of 'Qisas-e Nafs' (retribution in kind) in the Islamic Republic of Iran occurs under conditions where, according to governmental laws, premeditated murder is not graded, and 'any type of murder, regardless of severity and motive, leads to the issuance of a death sentence.' This human rights organization also reported the execution of eight other prisoners on December 7 and 10 in Qazalhesar prison in Alborz province. According to this report, the identities of two of the four prisoners executed on December 7 were announced as Reza Shirzahi (Naroui), 24 years old, and Hamid Pakdel, charged with 'premeditated murder,' while the names and details of the other two prisoners remain unclear. Additionally, according to the Iran Human Rights Organization citing an informed source, the identities of two prisoners executed on December 10 were Amir Moradi, 35 years old, and Amir Minaei-Amrollah, with charges related to drug offenses. Political prisoners involved in the 'No to Execution Tuesdays' campaign have repeatedly emphasized that the issuance and execution of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic are intended to instill fear and terror in Iranian society. In recent weeks, several United Nations experts, coinciding with the International Day Against the Death Penalty, issued a statement expressing concern over the rising number of executions in Iran and calling for an immediate halt to them. A human rights group previously announced that the Islamic Republic executed 166 individuals in October alone, from September 30 to October 30. According to Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic is responsible for 74% of the world's executions in 2023. Previously, Maya Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, criticized the human rights situation and the increase in the number of executions in Iranian prisons and called for a reduction in the issuance of death sentences in Iran.