Execution of Four Prisoners in Tabriz; Three Non-Iranian Among the Executed

Four prisoners, including two Afghan citizens and one Iraqi citizen, were executed in Tabriz prison on charges related to 'drugs' and 'murder.' According to human rights sources, these four men, named Shapur Hosseini, Mohibullah Shafai, Musharraf, and Ayrefan Abdulazizi, were executed on the morning of Monday, September 5. Shapur Hosseini was charged with 'drug trafficking,' while the two Afghan citizens, Mohibullah Shafai and Musharraf, were charged with 'armed drug trafficking.' According to Iran Human Rights, Ayrefan Abdulazizi, from Kirkuk, Iraq, had been sentenced to death three years ago for the 'premeditated murder' of a cement factory guard. The human rights organization reported a 'severe and continuous increase' in the number of executions related to 'drugs' over the past four years, noting that in 2023, the number of executions for these charges increased by 84% compared to the previous year. The organization recorded 256 executions of prisoners with drug-related charges in 2022 and 471 in 2023. The continuation of executions in Iran occurs amid increasing calls from political prisoners, civil activists, human rights advocates, and international organizations to halt the issuance and implementation of death sentences by the Islamic Republic officials. Based on a statement from political prisoners involved in the 'No to Execution Tuesdays' campaign on Tuesday, September 6, coinciding with the thirty-first week of this campaign, a group of political prisoners in Greater Tehran Prison and 'two members of the Italian Parliament' joined this human rights campaign. Participants in the anti-death penalty campaign, consisting of prisoners 'in 19 prisons of the Islamic Republic,' have called on other prisoners and 'all awakened consciences' of the world to join this campaign for 'the abolition of the death penalty and to combat it.' Simultaneously, 68 Iranian and international human rights organizations issued a joint statement expressing their support for the 'No Execution Tuesdays' movement. According to Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic is responsible for 74% of recorded executions worldwide last year. The executed individuals include ethnic minorities, especially Baluchis, women, and those who were minors at the time of their crimes. Civil activists have warned about the 'inhumane conditions' of female prisoners, stating that the situation of non-political prisoners is even worse. The 'No to Execution Tuesdays' campaign announced the joining of prisoners from 'Greater Tehran,' asserting that the government of Medicalian is a 'cabinet of repression and execution.' Dozens of human rights organizations and institutions supported the 'No Execution Tuesdays' movement. The execution of a Baluchi prisoner in Zahedan Central Prison was reported, with the accused previously stating, 'I am not a killer.'