Execution of Eight Prisoners in Yazd and Shiraz; Continuation of Death Penalty Implementation in Iranian Prisons

The Islamic Republic executed the sentences of eight prisoners today, Monday, August 29, on charges including murder and drug-related offenses. Human rights media reported that these prisoners were executed in the prisons of Yazd and Adelabad in Shiraz. The website Halvash reported that today, five prisoners were executed in Yazd, two of whom were sentenced to death for drug-related offenses in a joint case. Another executed individual was also sentenced for a drug-related crime, and an Afghan national was executed for murder. According to Halvash, there is no information available about the identity and charges of the fifth person. The Hengaw human rights organization also reported that on Saturday, August 27, the death sentences of three prisoners on charges related to drug offenses and murder were carried out in Adelabad prison in Shiraz. According to statistics recorded by the 'Human Rights Activists in Iran' organization in the year 1402 (2023), at least 767 citizens, including 21 women and 2 child offenders, were executed. This human rights body also noted that the execution of prisoners related to drug offenses by Iranian authorities has 'increased sharply every year' over the past four years, and '2023 has seen an 84% increase compared to 2022, when 256 people were executed on drug-related charges, with 471 executions recorded this year.' Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, described the trend of executions in Iran as 'very concerning' last week, stating: 'The number of reported executions this year has reached at least 345, of which 15 are women.'