Iran Human Rights Organization: At Least 17 Prisoners Executed Last Week

On Saturday, November 26, the Iran Human Rights Organization reported the execution of at least 17 prisoners, including one woman and one Afghan citizen, in Iranian prisons during the past week. According to this human rights body, 10 individuals were executed in Qazalhessar Prison in Karaj, and 7 others in prisons in Urmia, Kashan, Tabriz, and Amol. The charges against these prisoners included 'drug-related offenses', 'murder', or 'rape'. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that simultaneous with the execution of 10 prisoners in Qazalhessar Prison on Wednesday, November 23, a group of death penalty opponents and relatives of the condemned held a peaceful gathering in front of this prison. This gathering escalated into tension due to 'severe police and security guard intervention'. According to social media reports, a group of families of the condemned prisoners protested in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in early November, chanting 'Do not execute'. The anti-death penalty campaign named 'No to Execution Tuesdays', which began in Bahman 1402 (February 2023) by 10 political prisoners imprisoned in Qazalhessar Prison, has now expanded to 25 other prisons. In its latest statement on November 22, it reported that the number of executions in the new government has exceeded 450. The Iran Human Rights Organization has reported a 'continuous increase' in the number of executions of prisoners related to 'drugs' over the past four years, adding that in 2023, the number of executions of these defendants increased by 84% compared to the previous year. This human rights body recorded the number of executed prisoners with drug-related charges as 256 in 2022 and 471 in 2023. According to Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic is responsible for 74% of the world's executions in 2023. May Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, criticized the human rights situation and the increasing number of executions in the Islamic Republic's prisons, calling for a reduction in the issuance of death sentences in Iran. The UN fact-finding committee expressed concern over the issuance of a death sentence for Vrishe Moradi. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic executed a prisoner 'for the second time'. A death sentence was issued for 6 detained protesters in the Ekbatan children's case. The execution of Mohammad Ali Salamat has led users to emphasize 'systematic corruption' within the government.