Execution of 12 Drug Trafficking Suspects Despite Ahmad Shahid's Request to Halt Sentences

Despite a request from Ahmad Shahid, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, for the Iranian authorities to halt the execution of 12 prisoners accused of drug trafficking, these individuals were executed on Saturday morning, September 6, at the central prison of Karaj. According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, which monitors and reports on executions in Iran, it was reported that the executed individuals had been transferred to solitary confinement since Wednesday, September 3, and were allowed to meet with their family members before their execution. The names of 9 of the executed individuals have been announced as follows: Alireza Madadpour, Bahman Rezaei, Arman Bahrami, Alireza Asadi, Mohsen Eslami, Hossein Bayrami, Mehdi Rostami, Amir Sarkhah, and Alireza Sarkhah. These executions were not reported by official Iranian media. One day before the execution of these 12 suspects, Ahmad Shahid had called on the Iranian authorities to stop their sentences. In his statement, Shahid expressed deep regret that the Iranian government continues to execute individuals for crimes that are not considered 'serious crimes' under international covenants. According to this statement, Alireza Madadpour (one of the executed) was arrested in 2011 while working as a cleaner in a house that was raided by police, where 990 grams of the drug 'crystal' were discovered. According to Ahmad Shahid, Alireza Madadpour did not meet with his court-appointed lawyer and was sentenced to death in a 20-minute trial. Shahid wrote in his statement: 'The issuance of these sentences not only violates international standards but also breaches Iran's domestic laws regarding fair trial.' The Iranian Judiciary's Human Rights Headquarters announced in a statement on August 27 that over 93% of executions in Iran are related to drug offenses, while international human rights organizations argue that under global laws, drug trafficking is not considered a 'serious and major crime' and should not warrant the death penalty. The issue of executions in Iran has consistently topped international criticism regarding human rights conditions in the country in recent years. In the latest instance, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several other human rights organizations condemned the execution of 20 security prisoners accused of 'moharebeh and terrorist actions.' In response, Mohammad Javad Larijani sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, objecting to his statement about these individuals and calling the torture claims 'baseless and unrealistic.' According to Iranian Judiciary officials, on August 12, 20 members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group were executed in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. The United Nations and human rights organizations have repeatedly called on Iranian authorities to abolish this punishment over the years. Iranian officials have consistently defended the use of the death penalty, and in the latest instance, Mohammad Javad Larijani, Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary, emphasized on September 2 that he opposes the complete abolition of the death penalty, asserting that it should exist for certain 'dangerous' crimes. According to Amnesty International, in 2015, 977 people were executed in Iran, a figure that this human rights organization described as 'unprecedented.' This report indicates that Iran has the second-highest number of executions in the world after China.