Seven Prisoners Executed in Kerman and Karaj Prisons

The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported the execution of seven prisoners, including four Baluch and two Kurdish inmates, in Kerman Central Prison and Qazalhasar Prison in Karaj. According to Hengaw, the executions of five prisoners from Zahedan and Kurdistan, charged with drug-related offenses, were carried out in Kerman on the morning of Sunday, April 21, 2024. Simultaneously, the death sentences of two other prisoners previously sentenced for drug-related crimes were executed in Qazalhasar Prison in Karaj. Hengaw stated that news of the execution of these seven prisoners had not been reflected in government media, especially those close to the judiciary, at the time of this report. Reports indicate that the trend of executions in Iran has intensified in recent months. The latest annual report on 'Death Penalty in Iran in 2023', prepared by the Iran Human Rights Organization and published recently, reported at least 834 executions in Iran during 2023, marking a 43% increase from 582 executions the previous year. Another notable point in this report was that '85% of all executions included in the 2023 report, or 709 executions, were not announced by the Iranian authorities.' The execution of at least two juvenile offenders and 22 women during 2023 was another significant aspect of the Iran Human Rights Organization's report. This Norway-based human rights organization recently launched a campaign with other human rights groups, urging the international community to pressure Iranian authorities to halt the issuance and execution of death sentences for drug-related offenses. The Islamic Republic's execution of the weakest segments of society under the pretext of drug offenses; Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam explains. A statement from dozens of human rights organizations against drug-related executions in Iran; condition cooperation with the Islamic Republic on the cessation of executions. Amnesty International: Iranian prisons have become 'places of mass slaughter'; decisive international action is necessary. Iran Human Rights Organization: For the first time in nine years, two death sentences for 'insulting the sacred' have been executed.