Execution of 5 More Prisoners in Shiraz; 19 Executed in Two Weeks

The Iran Human Rights Organization announced that with the execution of 5 men, including two Afghan nationals, in Shiraz Central Prison on September 17, the number of those executed in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz over the past two weeks reached 19. According to this organization, the identities of three of the executed, who were sentenced to 'qisas' (retribution in kind) for 'premeditated murder,' were Amir Naderzadeh, Sajjad Fadaei, and Abdullah Abdolsamad (an Afghan national). The identities of the other two prisoners, Behzad Bagheri and an individual known only as Mobasher (also an Afghan national), were sentenced to death for drug-related charges. The report states that the death sentences of 14 prisoners were carried out on September 17, September 19, October 2, and October 4, with 5 others executed the week prior. Although some reports indicate that 36 prisoners were executed in recent days at Adelabad Prison, the Iran Human Rights Organization has not yet confirmed 17 additional executions. The organization expressed concern over the mass executions in Shiraz Central Prison and urged the international community not to remain silent regarding such widespread use of the death penalty. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, the director of this organization, warned about meetings between world leaders and the Islamic Republic on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, stating, 'The use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic must be at the forefront of any discussions between Islamic Republic officials and leaders of human rights-respecting countries.' The organization has also released the names of other executed individuals from the past two weeks at Adelabad Prison, none of whom were mentioned in state media. Four prisoners were executed on September 19, including Shahin Salami, sentenced to 'qisas' for 'premeditated murder,' along with three others sentenced to death for drug-related charges: Sepehr Nourani, Taher Arzomand, and Kamran Heydari. Three more prisoners were executed on October 2, identified as Hassan Najati, Mohammad-Reza Najati, and Fardin Ahmadi, all sentenced to 'qisas' for 'premeditated murder.' Two additional executions occurred on October 4; Rasoul Shanbadi was arrested on drug-related charges, and Ayoub (Akbar) Saadi-Khani was sentenced to 'qisas' for 'premeditated murder.' UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, May Sato, recently noted that at least 93 individuals were executed in Iran just last month, with only a portion of these executions officially reported by the Islamic Republic. According to Sato's report and several other UN experts, the number of executions by the Islamic Republic in August was more than double the 45 executions carried out in July, and this year alone, at least 400 Iranian citizens, including 15 women, have been executed by the Iranian government. Furthermore, Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, described the execution statistics in Iran and the judicial processes leading to such sentences as 'concerning.' He criticized the Iranian judiciary, stating that it is 'not independent or reflective of fair trials.' Amnesty International reported that the Islamic Republic was responsible for 74% of recorded executions worldwide last year.