Execution of a Baloch Woman in Kerman Prison

The website 'Halosh' reported the execution of 'Zar Khatun Mazarzahi', a Baloch female prisoner, at dawn on Wednesday, November 15, in Kerman. The Kerman judiciary had previously accused her of drug trafficking, a claim that, according to Halosh, she never accepted. Human rights sources, including 'Halosh', have reported that since May, the identities of at least 118 Baloch prisoners, including five female prisoners who have been executed, have been confirmed. According to Halosh sources, 'The family of this prisoner sold the gold earrings of her granddaughter to afford travel costs for a last visit, and with the money from the sale, they reached Kerman, where only three family members—her daughter, brother, and sister—were allowed to meet her.' As reported by Halosh, Ms. Mazarzahi was arrested on December 29, 2017, at the 'Qaleh Zangi' checkpoint in Kerman province while on a bus heading to Shiraz, accused of drug-related offenses, specifically 'carrying discovered substances' inside the bus at this checkpoint, which 'she repeatedly denied.' Mazarzahi stated in court that the discovered substances did not belong to her, but Halosh reports that the court issued a death sentence without considering the defense of this prisoner. According to this news website, this 'death row prisoner' was sentenced to death due to 'lack of financial means to hire an experienced lawyer and effectively defend her claim of innocence, and ultimately, on Wednesday, February 12, 2022, her death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court.' A collection of human rights activists in Iran also published a report on Tuesday, October 9, coinciding with October 10, 'World Day Against the Death Penalty', announcing that during the period from October 9, 2022, to October 7, 2023, at least '659 people' were executed in various regions of Iran 'by hanging', which 'represents an increase of about 24 percent compared to the same period last year.' Given the trend of increasing executions in Iran by the Islamic Republic under various pretexts, Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, in his latest report to the UN General Assembly on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, called for an immediate halt to executions and the immediate release of detainees, including women, girls, lawyers, journalists, and human rights defenders. The ongoing confrontation of the Islamic Republic with protesting citizens; from executions to the detention of the families of plaintiffs. The funeral of three Baloch political prisoners executed on November 13 in Zahedan. Execution of three individuals in Zahedan without prior notice and the possibility of meeting their families. From the execution of Qasem Abasteh to the hunger strike of Narges Mohammadi; the continuation of human rights violations in Iran. Shiva Mahbubi: The Islamic Republic considers the execution of drug prisoners to be less costly for itself. Confirmation of the death sentence of Milad Zahrevand in the Supreme Court; deprivation of a lawyer and haste in the court's ruling. Execution of three 'security' prisoners in Zahedan; human rights sources: they had made 'forced confessions' under torture. Execution of Meysam Chandani, a Baloch political prisoner after 11 years.