Execution of at least 5 prisoners in Shiraz and Urmia on World Day Against the Death Penalty

On the occasion of World Day Against the Death Penalty, judicial officials of the Islamic Republic executed at least 5 prisoners in the cities of Shiraz and Urmia on Thursday, October 11. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that the sentences of at least 3 prisoners named Asghar Ghorbani, Yasin Amiri, and Soheil Habibollahi, who were sentenced to death on drug-related charges, were carried out in Shiraz Central Prison (Adelabad). According to the report, these three prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement on Sunday, October 7, for the execution of their sentences. An informed source told the Iran Human Rights Organization: 'Yasin Amiri was from Susangerd and was arrested two years ago on drug charges and sentenced to death. His sentence was carried out while he was the head of a family of four.' The source added: 'Soheil Habibollahi and Asghar Ghorbani were from Esfarayen and had been arrested three years ago in a joint case on charges of armed drug trafficking and sentenced to death.' The execution of these three prisoners had not been reported by domestic media or official sources at the time of this news report. The Iran Human Rights Organization noted that the execution of prisoners sentenced for drug-related charges has seen a significant and continuous increase over the past four years. According to this human rights organization, the year 2023 has witnessed an 84% increase compared to 2022, when 256 individuals were executed on drug-related charges, with 471 executions recorded for this reason. Meanwhile, according to HRANA, a collection of human rights activists in Iran, a prisoner named Borhan Ansari from Urmia and another prisoner from Boukan were executed in Urmia Central Prison. HRANA reported that Borhan Ansari was arrested three years ago on drug-related charges and subsequently sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court. The second prisoner was also sentenced to death in connection with drug offenses. May Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, stated in a video message on Wednesday, October 10, that 'at least 500 executions have been reported in Iran since the beginning of this calendar year' and called for an end to executions by the Islamic Republic in Iran. Additionally, a joint statement by a collection of human rights activists in Iran and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, published on Tuesday, October 9, noted that at least 811 executions have been recorded by these organizations in the past year: 'In 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran accounted for over 75% of the total recorded executions globally, executing at least 811 Iranians from October 2023 to October 2024, and with 23 women executed during this period, it recorded the highest number of executions of women in the past decade.' Moein Khazaeli, a lawyer and human rights activist, told Voice of America that the Islamic Republic increases the number of executions whenever it feels threatened. October 10 is designated as World Day Against the Death Penalty. This day was first introduced in 2003 by the 'World Coalition Against the Death Penalty' to support the abolition of the death penalty and raise awareness of the conditions of prisoners sentenced to death.