Execution of at least 7 individuals in Sari, Zahedan, and Isfahan

Human rights sources reported that the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic executed at least seven prisoners in various cities across Iran. According to reports from human rights sources on Sunday, December 23, four prisoners, including one woman, were executed in Sari, two prisoners in Isfahan, and another in Zahedan by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic. The Iran Human Rights Organization identified the executed prisoners in Sari as 'Iftikhar Hamidi, 35, and Youssef Setari, 38' in connection with the charge of 'murder,' and 'Jamal Asgarabadi, 45, and Manouchehr Hedayati, 47' in connection with drug-related crimes. Additionally, HRANA, the media organ of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, reported that two prisoners identified as Ashkan Parseh, 29, from Aligudarz, and Arman Samadi, approximately 30 years old, were executed in Isfahan Central Prison by the judicial authorities. According to this report, both executed prisoners in Isfahan Central Prison were facing drug-related charges and had been sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court. The execution of prisoners in connection with drug offenses has consistently increased over the past four years by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic, with the Iran Human Rights Organization reporting that the number of executions last year reached '471 executions,' an 84% increase compared to the previous year. Furthermore, another prisoner named Soltan Jahantigh was executed in Zahedan Central Prison in connection with the charge of 'premeditated murder.' The issuance and execution of death sentences 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, weakness, or motive of the accused, leads to a death sentence.' According to the World Organization for the Information on Executions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the highest number of executions in the world, with 882 executions recorded from the beginning of this year until November 30. Political prisoners who are members of the 'No to Executions Tuesdays' campaign have repeatedly emphasized that the issuance and implementation of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic aims to instill fear and terror in Iranian society. Previously, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, May Sato, criticized the human rights situation and the increasing number of executions in Iranian prisons, calling for a reduction in the issuance of death sentences in Iran.