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Activists Call on President Biden to End the Federal Death Penalty Before Leaving Office

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A conversation with Death Penalty Action Co-founder and Executive Director Abe Bonowitz. Now that Joe Biden is a lame duck president, activists are holding him accountable to make good on his promise to end the federal death penalty during his remaining six months as president. Biden’s election campaign in 2020 had pledged to end the federal death penalty and incentivize the remaining 27 states that still allow executions to do the same. While he made history as the first president in the United States to openly oppose the death penalty, there has been no movement to actually end federal executions during his nearly four years in office.

14 executed in Iran

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Iran Human Rights, November 7: According to the Iranian state media 14 prisoners were executed in two Iranian cities of Tehran and Shiraz early this morning.

The state run news agency Mehr reported that four prisoners were hanged publicly in the Koozeh-Gari Square of Shiraz (southern Iran). All the prisoners were convicted of drug-related charges and none of them were identified by full name.

The report also said that 9 other prisoners will be executed in the coming days.

According to the official Iranian news agency IRNA, 10 prisoners were hanged in Tehran’s Evin prison early this morning. All the prisoners were convicted of drug-related charges said the report.

According to unofficial reports three prisoners (all Afghan citizens) have been transferred from Rajaei Shahr prison to solitary confinement at the Evin prison. It is believed that these prisoners will be executed in the coming days.

According to Iran Human Rights’ annual report on the death penalty in 2011, more than 80% of all executions in Iran were based on drug-related charges.

Reports indicate that many of the prisoners executed for drug-related charges are subjected to torture and unfair trials.

Human rights NGOs have criticized the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and the donor countries for their contribution to Iran’s so-called war on the drugs, despite the high number of the executions for drug-related charges.

Iran Human Rights’ spokesperson Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam urged the international community to react to the widespread unlawful executions in Iran.

Source: Iran Human Rights, November 7, 2012


November 8 Update

Iran Human Rights, November 7: Iranian state media have reported a total of 15 people were executed in Tehran, Shiraz and Zarand (Kerman Province) early this morning.

Four prisoners were hanged publicly in Shiraz and five more are to be reportedly hanged in the coming days:

The official website of the Iranian judiciary in the province of Fars reports four prisoners were hanged publicly in the Koozeh-Gari Square of Shiraz (southern Iran). They were convicted of drug-related charges. Their names have been identified as: ’Arash Esmaeili’, ’Naghibollah Tajik’, ’Shahpour Majnun Mozafari’, and ’Najaf Ali H.’

Fars also reports nine prisoners will be executed in the coming days. Five of the prisoners, who will be hanged publicly tomorrow, have been identified as: ’R.D.’, ’F.M.’, ’M.D.’, ’S.H.’, and "P.K.’ They are convicted on drug-related charges.

10 Prisoners hanged in Tehran’s Evin Prison:

IRNA, the official Iranian news agency reports ten prisoners were hanged in Tehran’s Evin Prison early this morning. They were convicted of drug-related charges.

The prisoners have been identified as: Ahmad Tajari, Shahram Yadollahi, Yousef Karimkhani Zarnaghi, Ghader Malaki, Asgar Faraji Nayeri, Abdolghader Hadi Tajik (Afghan citizen), Seyed Jalal Hosseini, Hamid Gholami, Gahhreman Gahsemi Karam, and Ahmad Barahoui.

One prisoner hanged in Zarand— Kerman Province, southeastern Iran:

Fars reports one prisoner was hanged in Zarand Prison (southeastern Iran) early this morning. The prisoner, identified as ’Y. A.’, was reportedly convicted of possession and trafficking 809 grams of heroin.

According to unofficial reports from the site, Human Rights And Democracy Activists In Iran, three prisoners (all Afghan citizens) have been transferred from Rajai Shahr prison to solitary confinement cells in Evin Prison. They may be executed in the coming days.

According to Iran Human Rights’s annual report on the death penalty, in 2011, more than 80% of executions in Iran were for drug-related charges.

Multiple reports reveal many of the prisoners executed for drug-related charges were subjected to torture and faced unfair trials.

Human rights NGOs have criticized the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and donor countries for their contribution to Iran’s so-called war on drugs, despite the country’s high number of unlawful executions carried out for drug-related charges.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights, urged the international community to react to the widespread, unlawful executions in Iran.

Source: Iran Human Rights, November 8, 2012
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