Iran Human Rights Organization: For the first time in 9 years, two death sentences for 'insulting the sacred' were carried out

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported on Wednesday, April 8, that the execution of two men on charges of 'insulting the sacred' in Iran in 2023 marks the first such executions in the past nine years. Youssef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zareh were arrested for having a Telegram channel named 'Critique of Superstition and Religion.' Their charges included 'accusing the mother of the Prophet of Islam of adultery, disrespecting the Quran, insulting the Prophet, and natural apostasy.' Youssef Mehrad was a father of three children and had another case in the Islamic Revolutionary Court with charges of 'propaganda against the regime, forming a group, insulting Khomeini, and insulting the leadership.' The two were executed in May of last year in Arak Central Prison. The Iran Human Rights Organization also reported on a case of execution for 'adultery' in 2023, adding that at least five others, three of whom are women, are at risk of execution for the same charge. According to the report, the person executed for 'adultery' in 2023 was Ahmad Nikoui, 38, who was executed in May 2023 in Karaj Prison, and no information has been released about his female co-defendant. Iran is one of six countries that has stoning as a punishment in its penal laws, with the Islamic Penal Code designating stoning as the punishment for adultery. The Iran Human Rights Organization noted that in 2023, the Islamic Republic executed at least 471 people on drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to the previous year. Official sources reported only 25 of these executions. On March 19, 2024, Yasin Zolghari and his wife, who had been married for a year, were executed in Tabriz Central Prison for carrying 3 kilograms of crystal meth. Meanwhile, the first execution for drug-related charges in 1403 was the execution of Abbas Aghaei in Tabriz Central Prison on the second day of the new year. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, Abbas Aghaei was arrested 28 months ago on drug-related charges, which he never accepted. He was responsible for his siblings under 15 years old and was on the verge of marriage. Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, the director of the Iran Human Rights Organization, stated on his 'X' account while sharing this news: 'Drug crime defendants are low-cost victims of the government's execution machine.' Human rights organizations and officials have repeatedly warned about the alarming increase in executions in Iran. Last May, Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed serious concern over the 'horrific' execution statistics in Iran and urged the Iranian authorities to abolish the death penalty or halt all executions, following the pattern of most countries. Turk called the Iranian government one of the largest executioners in the world, stating that this year 'an average of more than 10 people have been executed in Iran each week.' More than 40 Iranian and international organizations have called for monitoring the human rights situation in Iran. A human rights organization reported that the judiciary of the Islamic Republic executed at least 767 citizens in 1402. Javid Rahman's final report to the UN Human Rights Council highlighted the alarming human rights situation and a 43% increase in executions in Iran. A fact-finding committee regarding protests in Iran stated that the Islamic Republic has committed 'crimes against humanity.' The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that at least two juvenile offenders were executed in Iran in 2023. The US ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council condemned the 'cruel' actions of the Iranian regime against its citizens.